Hook up, it’s the law, says FGCU
By MEL TOADVINE,mtoadvine@breezenewspapers.com
Properties in Lehigh that are affected by orders from FGUA, the local water and sewer utility, to hook people up along existing lines are scattered throughout the community, says Barbara Kerby, a spokeswoman for FGUA today. She was asked where the 92 properties cited by Robert Sheets, systems manager for the contractor that runs the utility for Florida Governmental Utility Authority, were located. “We have maps here, but I can’t say actually where they are without looking at the maps. The properties are in different areas of our system. “They may be older homes or even new homes that were built over the past few years and were given permits for a septic system by the county health department,” Kerby said. Sheets last week said the company would “move forward” to require residents to hook into the available service lines. Florida law requires homes to be hooked up to a sewer line if one is available. Sheets made his comments at a workshop held with the Lee County Commission. He told them he would provide them with a progress report in 30 days. The workshop was held last week. Jim Lavender, the county’s public works director, who has also served on the FGUA board, said the utility is making attempts to talk to each property owner that will be affected and “encourage them to hook up.” He noted it was a sensitive subject because of losing property values and the feeling people have concerning the bad economy. At the workshop, both Commission Chairman Ray Judah and District 5 Commissioner Frank Mann, agreed that the legal requirements were in place and that the issue was discussed with FGUA more than a year ago. Mann said he didn’t know why people were not hooked up by now. Mann lives in Alva and represents East Lee County, including all of Lehigh Acres. The estimated cost to hook up to the existing system is around $6,140 and that includes destroying the property owners’ existing septic tanks. The costs could be spread over 15 years, costing the property owner about $612 a year, officials said. Not everyone is happy about the announcement. Frank Lohlein who is president of his own PAC called CAIT, Citizens Against Increased Taxes, said Sheets “is forcing us to make him rich.” “Why are the commissioners not buying the system as they promised? They know there isn’t any money in Lehigh and we trusted the commissioners to protect us by voting for them and now we are being sold out to make a private contractor rich. Do we need a recall election to stop them,” he told The Citizen in a written statement. “The need to go into deep debt is being ignored by Commissioners Frank Mann and Ray Judah. We should contact them and tell them to stop this nonsense because they are dragging their feet on purchasing the utility system in Lehigh,” he said. FGUA purchased the system in Lehigh almost six years ago and plans were to upgrade it and sell it to a local authority. There are around 12,500 homes in Lehigh that pay for water. Officials said there are around 10,000 sewer customers. Steve Spratt, the utility municipal services director said there are also another 249 homes that could be linked up to existing waterlines with a cost of about $4,200 or $418 a year over 15 years of billing. The utility could be purchased one day by Lee County Utilities. The Fort Myers utility has first options on buying FGUA.