Fryeburg may hike cost to store town's sewage to match rising disposal fees

By David Carkhuff

At a special town meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 9, Fryeburg selectmen will discuss spending $21,390 to pump out the town's septage storage tanks, a prelude to a planned hike in sewage storage fees.Next year, the town plans to raise the fee from $100 per 1,000 gallons to $155 per 1,000 gallons to catch up with the rates for disposal, Town Manager Phil Covelli said."The idea is to raise that rate so it's a wash completely," he said.Residents with septic tanks may face a higher rate from their pumping companies, he acknowledged."Potentially, that cost is going to be transferred to the citizens," Covelli said.But the town is over budget with sewage disposal and nearing the 176,000-gallon capacity of its tanks."We're going into the winter with the tanks almost full," Covelli said.The current rate of 10 cents per gallon for storage of septic waste costs the town money, he said."Why should that be subsidized?" Covelli wondered.For lack of a sewage-treatment plant, Fryeburg hauls its waste out of town to a treatment facility. The warrant article on the Dec. 9 agenda would pay for pumping and removal of 138,000 gallons from those tanks, Covelli said. Also on the agenda is a proposed service upgrade by Central Maine Power involving installation of a transformer and other improvements on a concrete pad on town property once owned by C. Blanchard.Fryeburg selectmen met only once in November due to the holidays.