For Vast Growth City Ponders Utilities

Two sanitary sewer 1 i n e s, which could open up about 40 f square miles of land for devolopment, were among the major items discusscd at last night's joint meeting of the City Council and City Planning Commission. If these two lines - The northside interceptor and the Fleming Creek trunkline - were constructed il would enable the land to be serviced to become part of the city. Il was eslimated the Flemingl [Creek line, which could extendí all the way to Frains Lake, near the east Washtenaw Coun-j ty boundary, would open upj about 18 square miles for de-l velopment while the northside I interceptor could open up 20 tol 25-square-miles northwest andl west of the city. City Administrator Guy C. I Larcom Jr., however, said the I council should direct the 1 lic Works Department to study I altérnate methods of serving the I northeast area. The discussion of the Iwo sew- er systems arose while the coun-l cil and commission discussedl the proposed Capital Improve-I ment Budget and Program pre-l pared by the commission. Fur-I ther council discussion will bel held prior to adoption of the I document. Adoption of the Kiidget and 1 program will not commu tho i-d council to carrying out Uw Dmmended projects. The budg covers fiscal 1966-67 while tbe J Capital Improvement Program d covers a six-year period. The TQcommended budget tais $15,551,800 in projects while W the six-yeat program nt.als $38,- 1346,800. ,.;■ Larcom, commenting on the IhP added t would cost an esltet So more acres ready I -- i He said there may be 1 gap" measures the city canl employ to service áreas as theyj annex rather than building thel $3.4 milüon Une. "The councill should consider this year wheth-l er it wants the line built," 1 com said. Public Works Department Supt. Fredrick A. Mammel saidl "it may be 20 years before the line is needed." He said it would ,extend to the Honey Creek drainage basin and open up 0 'to 25 square miles. ín its Capital Improvementj i Budget and Program, the com-! mission had recommendedi estudies leading to the construction of both unes. John Spelman, íommission chairman, last mght Jsaid the lines are "essential" to the city's future development. Larcom said he would not Ifavor construction of the lines funless the State Legislature pass [laws which would make annexlation easier. He also said it lwould be a worthwhile project lif reincorporation was accom[plished. (Reincorporation would ívhffyclíssolviñgits charter and drafting a new charter with the city boundary 1 i n e s encompassing territory aroundthe city.) "It's a question of how much you (the council) want to invest in studies of areas which may or may not come into the city," Larcom said. Mayor Pro Tem Richard E. I Balzhiser commented that Pittsfield Township representatives jindicated tbey would "reluctantlly" let land within the boundaries of 1-94 annex to the city Ibut ín return would want the II city to service sewer south of i I-94. "You may encounler t h i s same problem wn olher town" ships," Lflom commented. (Tiie city currently has a policy of not extending services outside the city limits.) It was estimated that the total cost of both sanitary sewer lines would cost upwards of $8 million. Cost of the lines, if con- structed, would come from revenues of the sewer system or from revenue bonds. Mammei commented that the system does not now have the capacity to finance the projects. Opening lest night's meeting, Spelman said the eommission wished to emphasize the city should involve itself in "fiscal planning as well as physical planning." He said the eommission recommends the creation of a capital improvements fund which would make dollars available for projects as . they become needed. Spelman said only about one half of the recommended proj-l ects in the capital j nnents program is available from normal sources of funds. E The other $19 million would have to come from either gen-I i eral obligation or revenuel bonds. He noted that the city's bonding capacity is about $27 million and that only $11.5 million is now being used. Voters approved $7,862,000 in bond issues April 4, thus leavI ing about $12 million more need!ed for the six-year capital improvements program. About one-half of the budget and program is composed of street projects, the commission's budget recommendation totaling $7,006,300 for r o a d s while the six-year program lists $19,386,700 for roads. The bond issue passed in April covers nine of these recommended road projects totaling $5,362,000. Another $2.5 million was approved for parks and recreation purposes. The I mission had recommended that f2,639,500 be expended during ïscal 1966-67 for parks and receation. I Only two road projects carne lin for council questioning last Imght. Councilmen asked t h e commission why it had included the widening of División from Ann to Depot and why it had not included the widening oí ] Hurón St. through the city. Second W a r d Councilman James C. Riecker noted that División will become the main north-south route in the city i cause of the Main St. ■ nade and the proposed State St. ■ promenade. Mammei noted that Ithis section of División is in ■ need of resurfacing and that it ■ would be a waste of money to ■resurface it now without widenling it. I On the question of widening ÍHuron, Spelman said the comImission had originally recommended that the project be I cluded in the Aprü bond issue but then dropped the project. He said there would be 1 lems involved in the widening, 1 mainly because it would require the demolition of s o m e I buildings. O t h e r recommendations of the commission for fiscal 1966Í67 included $277,500 for storm sewers, $1,564,500 for sanitary j sewers, $1,549,000 for water lincs, $2,440,000 for parking, and $75,000 for various o t h e r minor projects. Other recommendations for the six-year program included $1,860,500 for storm sewers, $5,748,800 for sanitary sewers, ' 926,800 for water lines, $3,217,000 for parks and recreation, $432,000 for the Fire Department, and $335,000 for j laneous projects. The six-year program figures include the recommendations contained in the fiscal 1966-67 I budget.