Friday, June 26, 2009

Picking a spot to build a sewer plant is typically an unpopular decision.

Such is the problem for the City of Marathon, which has to build seven of the facilities scattered throughout town to serve as the backbone for its central sewer system. After a land deal with the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative fell through, city staffers learned that one of the plants had to be placed on a piece of Marathon Community Park property. The parcel is the empty spot of land that sits in front of the Guidance Clinic along U.S. 1.

At a council meeting on Tuesday night, the board somewhat reluctantly voted on a conditional use permit to place the plant, which will service the surrounding area, on the park parcel.

"I don't think we have any choice but to put it there," said Marathon Mayor Mike Cinque.

The issue was before the council because the land is zoned for parks, and the plant needs approval for a conditional use permit.

Marathon Planning Director George Garrett said he investigated a proposal from the nearby American Legion that would involve a land swap, but the parcel would not have worked for what the city needs to build.

"It would be difficult," Garrett said of using the alternate site.

Councilwoman Ginger Snead said that during her campaign for office she was against the park location for the sewer plant, but she has come to realize there are no other options.

"The bottom line is that this is the only place it can go," Snead said.

The sewer system Marathon is installing limits the location of plants to a specific range of areas in order to be able to maintain a vacuum connection to draw sewage from the surrounding pipes. The city has broken its sewer system into seven different service areas instead of having one large central plant.

Property owners in Marathon, like the rest of the Florida Keys, are required to have upgraded wastewater treatment systems in place by July 2010. Marathon is currently in the midst of installing an $80 million system that will bring the entire town up to code.

Updates on the city's progress installing the system can be found on the city Web site, www.ci.marathon.fl.us.