UPPER KEYS -- The managers of the village of Islamorada and the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District say a meeting last week yielded progress in negotiations that would result in the district treating Islamorada's sewage.
But the sides also agreed that Islamorada should lay its own pipeline from Tavernier Creek to Key Largo's mile marker 100.5 plant.
"It was very productive, very cordial. I don't see any hang-ups," Village Manager Ken Fields said the morning after last Thursday's 1 ¬½-hour meeting between he and Key Largo district General Manager Chuck Fishburn, which was also attended by engineers and attorneys for the two governments.
The Village Council decided just two weeks ago to actively seek a deal with Key Largo. The three council members who supported pumping sewage to the north had hoped the village still had time to dovetail into the $3.8 transmission line project that the Key Largo district plans to begin this month.
But with negotiations on what would be a detailed and lengthy interlocal agreement just getting underway, and with Key Largo having promised the Florida Department of Transportation that it will complete the transmission line by July, Fields and Fishburn both agreed there's not enough time.
That means the village is likely to miss out on an estimated $3 million in construction savings. But Fields said engineering analyses show that the money could be made up over time in the form of lower operating costs.
The village pipeline, he explained, would be smaller than a joint line shared with Key Largo, meaning it would take less pressure, and therefore less energy, to operate.
Fields and Fishburn also agreed on a framework for setting village costs, which would be adjusted over time according to an indicator, like inflation.
"The concept is very simple. We're buying treatment capacity and treatment services from them. End of story," said Fields.
The council came around to what's known as "the Key Largo option" late last month, in part because it would alleviate the need to build more sewer plants in Islamorada.
Advocates also say that pumping sewage north will result in significant cost savings for the village, both in the form of cheaper capital construction and lower long-term operating costs.
Fields says that's not true, especially on the front end. Village engineers Hazen And Sawyer plan on presenting a detailed cost analysis at a Village Council workshop on Nov. 18.
Councilwoman Deb Gillis, one of the three council members who called for negotiations with Key Largo, said she still supports the pipeline, even if the village has to build its own.
But her support will ultimately hinge upon the numbers to be put forward by Hazen And Sawyer.
A 3-2 majority of the Key Largo board has also supported negotiating to take Islamorada's sewage, saying it would be a cost-saver for the district.
But last week activist Ron Miller said that he and four other Key Largoites have retained Summerland Key attorney Lee Rohe in case they need to fight the Key Largo option.
Miller said he wants to make sure the district serves Key Largo residents before making any arrangements with Islamorada.
Meanwhile, last week's meeting may have marked a turning point for Fields and Fishburn, who have publicly butted heads in the past. Both emerged saying that discussions proceeded smoothly.
"It was amicable," Fishburn said.
rsilk@keysnews.com
Staff writer Steve Gibbs contributed to this report.