It’s a tough year to ask anyone to spend money, but Allenstown sewer commissioners are hoping voters will find investing some money in a new process at the wastewater treatment plant will benefit them all in the long run.

Commissioners Dana Clement and James Rodger are proposing a $1,550,000 bond to finance a new process at the plant which will increase capacity by about 1,200 hookups, allowing both Pembroke and Allenstown to move ahead with commercial development. Such development said Rodger, would help hold down the tax rate in the long run.

While Allenstown voters must approve and be responsible for the $1.5 million bond, Pembroke would share half that cost and be allowed half the hookups.

The new process While Rodger and Clement both say a new plant needs to be built, they realize the cost is beyond Allenstown’s reach. Instead, they are proposing to install equipment that would allow a “Biomag” process to be used. This process uses iron ore powder, which attaches to solids in the wastewater and makes them sink fast.

“It’s nowhere near the upgrade we do need, but it will give us a few more years, maybe 10 or 15 years,” said Rodger. “For us, the most cost effective way is to do the whole plant.”

Rodger said there are other bottlenecks, such as the capacity of the headworks, the room where all the wasterwater from both towns first comes in. “We’re almost at capacity in that headworks area,” he said. “In fact, this process could give us more capacity if we could expand the headworks.”

The cost Just what this proposal will cost taxpayers depends on a few things. With no help at all, the $1.5 million bond would add an estimated 42 cents to the tax rate, said Clement. Each year of the 10-year bond, the rate would decrease, to 29 cents on the rate by year 10.

With a possible 20 percent grant, that cost is reduced to 34 cents in the first year and 23 cents in the last year.

For the owner of a $200,000 home, that translates to $84 extra in the tax bill in the first year on the bond.

Rodger also pointed out that the federal government’s stimulus bill could reduce the cost by as much as 80 or 90 percent, but the town would have to approve the bond in the first place to be eligible for such help.

What’s in it for me?

Rodger said voters need to look at the long-term benefit to the town as a whole to understand the need for the bond. Those already hooked up to the system may feel no one else needs to be hooked up, and those on septic systems may say they don’t want to pay for a system they don’t use.

“The question is whether the citizens would like to see further development occur in Allenstown,” said Rodger.

He points out that Pembroke has a lower tax rate than Allenstown due to more commercial development.

“They have brand new fire department, police department, library.. They’re ahed of the curve. They developed that whole (Route) 106. So they’ve got a lot of things going for them,” he said. “It seems like Allenstown is a little bit behind the curve. We’re stuck with the plant, and tha’s why we have to pay the bond. But we don’t have commercial development.”

Rodger said the sewer system benefits everyone in town. “As it is now, we do have system that’s benefiting all citizens in town,” he said. “The school is hooked up to sewer, Town Hall, Bi-Wise, Irving gas.”

The vote The vote on the bond will take place on Election Day, Tuesday, March 10. The bond is Warrant Article 4, and it will require a three-fifths majority to pass.