Text Box: Marion County Commissioners weigh utilities options for Orange Blossom Hills

      The Orange Slice

Orange Blossom Hills Homeowners Association    

9230 SE 154th Street Summerfield, Florida 34491  *A non profit organization                               

 

 

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Text Box: Inside this issue: Text Box: Membership Monthly Newsletter http://www.obhha.org Text Box: March 2007 Text Box: Orange Blossom Hills Homeowners Association (OBHHA) has retained an attorney, additionally they been attending the Marion County Commission Meetings. The intention is to inform the local community about the purposed County Water and Sewer plans. OBHHA has been looking for alternative solutions to the Commissioners plans to mandate centralized urban city water and sewer services, on all the rural communities through out Marion County. Commissioner Stone suggested alterative plans might be considered. However the Commissioners have made it loud and clear that urban centralized water and sewer will be implemented. OBHHA is well aware of the cost impact to its elderly retired residence and long-term cost to Marion County. Although during the last workshop they seem determined to proceed with the hurried plans presented by one of their consultants. The Commissions purpose is to mandate City water and sewer as a permanent source of Marion County Revenue. In our opinion the Commissioners are trying to support the counties investment in several private sewer plants purchased by Marion County. When Commissioner McClain was asked by the residents of Orange Blossom Hills “How many of these private waste water and sewage plants has Marion County been purchasing”? “Is it more than three?” “No comment” was the answer given “Is it more then five?” Commissioner McClain refused to answer. A recent front page article, dated January 26, 2007 in the Star Banner, the writer mentioned a two million dollar short fall in public utilities. This is a serious impact to the county and those being served. The Commissioners are planning to be the first county in Florida to have implemented centralized water and sewer through out the entire county. The proper balance of good on site septic systems along with centralized (City) systems where they are properly needed, will avoid this outcome for Marion County. These recommendations were made by Orange Blossoms Hills Homeowners Association. Details can be found on our website http://www.obhha.org. From the viewpoint of Orange Blossom Hills Homeowners Association, Inc., the Commissioners are not very concerned about the welfare and health of the rural communities and its citizens. They are operating under the pretext of protecting the aquifer and are ignoring other options researched and published by the US EPA. Orange Blossom Hills Homeowners Association has gathered that information directly from the Environmental Protection Agency which prefer, on site septic systems, and decentralized systems as opposed to centralized systems after many year of research. The Environmental Protection Agency states Centralized systems have in many cases a negative impact on the environment, then those of onsite septic systems. The EPA also states that density and lot size is not a valid guide for housing density standards. Soil types and the onsite system that are being used are the important factors for establishing on site systems. The commissioners have used the following invalid argument, “increased development of our community will result in pollution to the aquifer.” This is just not true, and there is no certainty of this as indicated by the commission’s consultant. If you have a home in Orange Blossom Hills, it is going to cost $14,005.00 per house for implementation of water and sewer. Resident homeowners faced with $7,000.00 for paving will be looking at a total cost of $21,000.00 plus interest over a twenty year period. These figures were estimated by the County’s own consultant, and did not include the cost of monthly utility services. Text Box: Page 1

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