Letter: Sewer Authority 'Gangs Up' on Residents

Editor's Note:  This is a letter from Lower Providence resident Catherine Beyer regarding the debate over sewer lines being placed along the Perkiomen Creek between Upper and Lower Providence.  For an in-depth look into this issue, read our two-part series on the subject here and here.

The Lower Perkiomen Valley Regional Sewer Authority gangs up on local residents and continues to blame them for the sewer authority’s problems.

Even though LPVRSA was notified by DEP for over 3 years with four letters and one meeting, that the section of land that runs along the Perkiomen Creek between Hoy Park and the Cider Mill Bridge in Lower Providence Township is not approved in their Sewage Act 537 Plan, LPVRSA continued condemning properties, spending rate payers money, and delayed taking the actions mandated by DEP for construction of the Middle Interceptor.

The previous chairman of LPVRSA and current board member Bob Feio said in past public meetings that he doesn’t care what DEP says about the 537 plan, and when Mr. Feio was asked by a spokesperson from Clean Water Action about contamination concerns due to putting new manholes in a severe flood plain, he stated, why should I care? It (the sewer) all washes down to Phila. anyway.

 For over 3 years residents have attended almost every monthly meeting, questioning LPVRSA’s actions of deviating from the Dept. of Environmental Protection’s approved plan that places the sewer line on the Upper Providence side of the Perkiomen Creek where the existing pipe is located. During some of these meetings people were not allowed to finish their public comment, and were called “selfish residents” in letters written by their solicitor, Bob Brant.

At their monthly meeting on April 10, 2012, Ms. Staglione, the lpvrsa board rep for Collegeville and current Chairman made a motion to the board to finish the condemnation process on 2 resident’s properties in Lower Providence Township where the location was not approved in their Act 537 Plan.

Ms. Terry Staglione dismissed a resident’s genuine concern as she was attempting to explain what the land meant to her and all the other multi-generational families that have lived along the Perkiomen Creek all their lives. Ms. Staglione stated,   “this is getting old’, and ‘your being redundant’.

When the resident expressed disbelief that they were continuing to condemn their property even after DEP told them that the location is not consistent with the 537 Plan, and that she felt it was unethical, Staglione lashed out and said, ‘she should be grateful that she even allows her to speak” and that if the resident was in Collegeville borough she would he ‘gaveled down”.

The Lower Providence board Rep. Fred Walker objected to the motion to proceed with the condemnations and the board member for Trappe, expressed regret and concern for the pain the residents are experiencing.

Lpvrsa’s solicitor, Bob Brant stated, we own your land now, we have your land, we won, and there is nothing more you can do about it.

It is shameful that in the United States of America our paid public officials would behave in such a manner to law abiding citizens, who are only trying to protect their land, and their constitutional rights.

Sincerely

Catherine Beyer