Silver Creek sewer extension talks continue

Talk about it

A new sewer system for Silver Creek gained more support at a town board meeting last week.

Township board supervisor, Mike Hoops told the board there was a 70-75 percent failure rate for the sewer systems in that area.

It has been proposed that a city of Two Harbors extended sewer system project could be paid for by a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant which would also be partially used for Highway 61 improvements from Two Harbors to the first tunnel.

“I don’t think there’s any point in waiting for the highway to get done,” said Greg Hull, township board supervisor. Hull added that if the sewer was completed first then maybe there would be a better chance of the Highway 61 project proceeding.

There was also discussion of implementing city water.

Some of the public input meeting suggested using the city’s water and sewer systems, but for a fee. Along with that talk was annexation of property. Hoops said there could be property in the area for a pond sewer system.

The board will do the leg work on the subordinate service district in Silver Creek.

According to Minnesota House of Representatives research department: “A subordinate service district is a geographic area within a county or town, smaller than the entire county or town, in which the county or town provides services at a higher level than are provided generally throughout the jurisdiction or provides services that are not provided at all in the jurisdiction.”

“We need that no matter what,” Hoops said.

Hoops added Silver Creek could create a collection area and treat its own sewage.

“We want to keep the door open with the city for talks,” Hoops said, about the Two Harbors systems.

This week the Silver Creek Town Board and city of Two Harbors met again to discuss the sewer issues.

The town board agreed to move ahead with securing and entering into a long-term agreement for 160 acres of usable property for sludge spreading for the city of Two Harbors.

The board agreed to support the inclusion of a $1 million request in the TIGER grant application for the city’s campground expansion project. It also agreed to give its support for the inclusion of a $100,000 request in the TIGER grant application for trail engineering for the city’s trail system.

The Silver Creek Town Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Silver Creek Town Hall to discuss other issues such as: Silver Creek providing $500,000 to the city of Two Harbors for mercury reduction efforts at the city wastewater treatment plant. It will also discuss participating with Two Harbors in the orderly annexation of the property known as Superior Shores and all property west of Superior Shores to the existing eastern city limit line.

Tags: two harbors, silver creek, news, sewer, lake county