I want to second the thoughts in Laura Bridge’s letter in the Sept. 16 Harvard Press. Economic diversity in a town is not only needed, it is mandated by law. Why such a law is needed is worth pondering.
My other reason for writing is to note the obvious tie-in of Laura’s letter with Mr. Ashley’s Sept. 9 letter and my own letter advocating a real sewer system. At the time Devens offered Harvard a sewer connection, (a no-brainer to say yes), I was amazed at the rumor mongering that went on. People were saying the sewer would Allow Ayer Road to turn into 2A in Acton and allow so many dependent people as to tax our town resources and destroy Harvard.
The same verbiage reappears. So, what do we really think as a town?
Just even a slight amount of critical thinking about this dumb statement would inform you that the Hazels, and anyone else happy on Ayer Road, are not going to add a few small capes or apartment buildings to their front yard because a sewer exists, and that “zoning by sewer” is therefore simply inapplicable. The density of the new development behind Dunkin’ Donuts is as high as it gets, with no sewer (and a good thing for our town); the Harvard Green condos or Foxglove show the same thing.
Last, we still do not know in a public forum what we have spent to repeatedly replace and service a town treatment plant that does not work. $100,000 to $200,000 a year? Plus the cost of it (a million?), plus putting 18 million gallons of polluted water into the ground every year if it is in failure. Which it often is.
If a pressure sewer costs one third of a real one (must be a reason) I would also point out that with 1 to 2 percent money for a real, typical tax-free sewer bond, that the $100,000 to $200,000 alone would buy a $10 million real gravity system, with no maintenance or replacement cost ever for our own plant. And no local groundwater pollution, the most important thing.
Why buy cardboard shoes with $2.8 million of cash? And pay the $100,000 to $200,00 forever?
John Grady
Slough Road
