May 11, 1998
Hon. John Hart
Mayor, Hopewell Township
Municipal Building
201 Pennington-Washington Crossing Road
Titusville , NJ 08560-1410
Dear Mayor Hart:
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the membership of MSM Regional Council, I am writing in support of the Township's revised proposal to bring sewer service to the southeastern portion of the Township. As described in your May 6th Fact Sheet, the revised proposal reflects the recommendations that we drew from our planning analysis in January of this year.
In January, we called on the Township to scale down the proposal to the
areas currently within the ELSA service area and to serve neighborhoods
with failing septics that pose a public health threat. We also suggested
that sewer capacity of about 1.2 to 1.5 mgd would be consistent with the
State, County and local plans for a regional center in the southeastern
portion of the Township. We further suggested that service should be provided
through the Trenton Sewer Utility, because it would be more likely to be
made available than through ELSA. The current application requests 1.5
mgd from Trenton, with pipes that would allow up to 1.9 mgd and pumps with
a capacity of 1.5 mgd. We understand that the pipes to serve 1.5 mgd must,
by regulation, be sized to accommodate flows of up to 1.9, and the intention
is to limit flows through the size of the pumps. Although pumps can always
be upgraded, we have decided to back the Township's decision in this
area because of the progress being made by the special group considering
the regional center in the charrette meetings. Our continued support for
this application will be contingent upon continued progress to plan for
a regional center that meets the standards outlined below.
In addition, I would like to caution that we at MSM still believe that the
infrastructure should follow the plan. We recognize, however, that the situation
in Hopewell Township is such that this application must precede the plan. As
charrette co-sponsors, the Township has been gracious and thoughtful in recognizing
the regional impact that your decisions will have on the Valley and the region.
We have great expectations that the Township will continue its openness to
the process, and will ultimately develop a plan that realizes the goals of
the State Plan, the County Plan, and your own Master Plan -- to save the rural
character of the Hopewell Valley, and to concentrate development in and around
the existing Boroughs and in the TDD.
Part of MSM's expectation is that a plan for the regional center will accomplish three things:
- absorb development that would otherwise happen elsewhere in the Valley;
- reduce the growth of non-point source pollution by setting appropriate development standards; and
- reduce the growth in auto trips by promoting a mix of uses in a pedestrian- and transit-friendly form, exploiting existing and future passenger rail service on the West Trenton train line.
At our last meeting, the charrette group agreed that these were goals that we will explore. Alternative scenarios that meet these goals will be discussed at out next meeting.
Again, thank you for your consideration of our views.
Yours sincerely,
Dianne R. Brake
President
Copy: Mercer County Executive Robert D. Prunetti