Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 13 · column 5 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
What is the alternative?” Mrs. Harris asked.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Wickens replied. “When you buy a lot that is a risk you take. People need to tap into a septic system where the land will perc. It may cost some money,” he acknowledged, but insisted, “There is land in town where it won’t perc, and I don’t think that people should be able to build on it.”
In that case, Mrs. Harris replied, “we may face the devaluation of properties in town. If you can’t have septic, what’s the incentive for them to keep the property up?”
That’s the “big risk” you take, Mr. Wickens continued, when buying a property with questionable septic. “I don’t know the answer, but to put this into the subdivision ordinance is to compound the problem which we already have. It would be an absolutely irresponsible thing to allow me to sell off eight lots and then say, ‘Sorry, I got it past [Health Department sanitarian Jack] Lockhart but in three years you’ll have a big problem.”
The alternatives need to be explored, Mr. Wickens acknowledged. Some septic fields are vastly over capacity, overused, while others are underused. But, he pointed out, “some of us still drink well water from right under the town — right underneath the septic fields.”
Another revision to the ordinance is meant to address the septic problems, Mr. Wickens added. That would require perc tests by an independent soil expert. That revision was suggested because questions have been raised in the past about the adequacy of health department assurances about septic fields.
Other revisions considered by the planners included:
• striking a provision which exempted from the ordinance divisions into five or more parcels which do not require any new streets, easements, or rights-of-way.
• addition of a provision which would prevent the council from being obligated or influenced in its consideration of a subdivision application by any contract or agreement between outside parties. It was designed to “take the heat off’ in cases when contingency con
93.9%