Lake Carey petitions offered to Tunk. Twp.

BY MICHAEL J. RUDOLF

Wyoming County Press Examiner

TUNKHANNOCK TWP. -Residents on both sides of the Lake Carey sewer issue crowded the township supervisors meeting on Monday, with each faction bearing a petition hoping to sway the officials.

In the end, however, the supervisors stated that the matter had been closed with last month's vote to pull out of the joint project with Lemon Township to update their Act 537 plans.

"At this time it's a dead issue," said supervisor Randy White.

Tunkhannock Township will instead look for an alternative way to control the effect of on-lot sewage systems on the lake's water quality.

The supervisors first listened to a presentation from a group calling itself "Residents for a Healthy Lake Carey."

Resident Minturn Smith presented the board with a petition signed by 158 people who live at the lake who want sewers installed.

Smith contended that changes to the lake community over the years - such as an increase in year-round residences - mean that on-lot sewer systems are no longer adequate. He said adding sewers will help maintain the quality of the community without necessarily attracting added development.

 "During this transition, little or no upgrade, or improvement in maintenance, has been made to the majority of on-lot septic systems," he said.

Smith added that while zoning and land use regulations in the lake area would be nice, the two townships have a "checkered past" in previous attempts at those, which is not likely to change.

"Lake Carey cannot afford to wait for zoning before considering sewers," Smith said.

Smith pointed to other area lake communities which have benefited from sewer systems.

He introduced Lake Winola resident Mary Stoko, who stated that sewers added in her community in 1986 made great improvements.

"It really turned our lake around," Stoko said.

Smith also wanted the supervisors to hear from Lake Sheridan resident Roy Davis. However, Davis was unable to attend, so Lake Carey resident Dr. Arthur Sherwood read a statement from him.

"Any money spent on the project is an investment in the future of the lake," Sherwood read from Davis's statement. "For a lake the size of Lake Carey, it is inevitable that it will have to be done."

Those on the other side of the aisle told the supervisors they applauded the previous decision to pull out of the sewer planning process.

Lake Carey resident John Tidball approached the supervisors with his own petition, this one with 160 signatures. The petition stated that it was signed by residents who do not want sewers until land use and zoning ordinances are enacted.

Tidball noted, however, that about a third of the signatories indicated they do not want sewers under any circumstances.

"Reopening a joint study with Lemon (Township) is not the only option you have," Tidball said.

Kathy Johnson suggested that the supervisors come up with a requirement that on-lot systems be properly maintained, which White acknowledged was being considered.

In that case, Johnson wondered why the matter of a sewer system was being re-opened.

"It's not being re-opened. The majority of the board has voted," White said, referring to the November meeting where he and supervisor Ernie Reich voted to pull out of the joint study with Lemon Township. Supervisor Glenn Shupp  favored continuing with the study.

JoAnn Fiorito, who lives along SR 1001 near where a sewer line would run, said the township as a whole should not be required to fix the problems at the lake.

"It's up to the lakers to take care of their own dirty laundry," she said.

White told the crowd that the township is under no legal obligation to update its Act 537 plan for water quality, as it already has a valid plan that is actually more recent than many other municipalities in Wyoming County.