Hawthorne Rise Properties

Hawthorne Rise Properties

Proposed Sanitary Sewer Main Extension

The Hawthorne Rise neighbourhood properties were one of the earlier property developments in the French Creek area with properties along this street being serviced by septic systems. As the area became more developed, sanitary sewer systems were put in place and most properties in the area are now serviced by those sewer mains. A number of residents have expressed an interest in having those sanitary sewer mains extended into the Hawthorne Rise neighbourhood.

Regional District of Nanaimo staff have been contacted by residents to provide information on costs, process and construction of such a sewer main extension. To assist residents in their information gathering phase, staff held a public meeting on December 6, 2012 at the St. Columba Hall. At that meeting a number of issues and questions associated with sanitary sewer main extensions were discussed. Those questions and the answers are provided below for your information. Also provided is a map showing the area in question.

Project Update March 17, 2014

Construction of the sanitary sewer extension has begun and is ongoing. The detailed construction schedule indicates that construction will be completed mid-April 2014, at which point connections from the property line to dwellings can be started. A building permit is required for this connection, and details can be found by clicking on this link: How to Apply for a Building Permit

  • Hawthorne Rise Sanitary Sewer Report to Board - Feb 2014
  • Hawthorne Rise Tender Drawings (Prelim Design) - Feb 2014

    The remaining activities noted below in “Next Steps” have been revised to reflect the timing of each of the tasks.

    Next steps:

    1. Bylaws receive First 3 Readings (RDN Board) – complete July 23rd.
    2. Bylaws forwarded to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval – sent July 24th.
    3. Bylaws receive 4th and final reading (RDN Board) – completed August 27th Board meeting.
    4. Application to the Province for the Certificate of Approval (made one month after final RDN Board approval) – completed September 27th.
    5. Receive final approval from the Province – complete.
    6. Begin engineering design – complete.
    7. Complete engineering design – completed mid-January 2014.
    8. Tender submissions – completed late January 2014.
    9. Board approval of Tendered costs – completed February 2014 Board meeting.
    10. Construction – March/April - underway.

    Project Update February 27, 2014

    At the Feb 25th Board meeting, the RDN Board of Directors approved the award of the construction contract to Milestone Equipment Contracting Inc. RDN staff are proceeding with the formal contract documents and the construction is estimated to be complete by April 30th, 2014. More information will be provided once a detailed schedule has been received from the contractor.

    Project Update February 2014

    Engineering design has been completed and the project was put out for Tender on January 14th, 2014. The Tender closed on January 30th, 2014 and the tenders are now being evaluated. A report to the Board, including a recommendation for award, is anticipated for the February 11th Committee of the Whole meeting.

    Project Update November 2013

    The province has granted approval of the bylaws for this project and an engineering firm has been retained to carry out the design of the sanitary sewer system extension. The project has been delayed somewhat but the intended project completion date remains the same.

    Project Update July 30th, 2013

    The provision of sanitary sewer servicing to the Hawthorne Rise neighbourhood was given first three readings by the Regional District of Nanaimo Board on July 23rd. There are now a number of steps that must be taken leading up to construction of the sanitary sewer collection system including Provincial approvals, final Board approval, engineering design, tendering and construction. An estimated time line for those activities has been provided below.

    Should residents be faced with a failing septic disposal system on their property prior to the completion of the sanitary sewer collection system the following two web sites provide information that may be helpful.

    SepticSmart

    This site offers information on the maintenance of on-site septic disposal systems and may assist in extending the life of your system until the sanitary sewer collection system is in place. This site can be reached at www.septicsmart.ca

    Pump and Haul Service

    This service can be accessed on a temporary basis and allows homeowners to have septic waste hauled to the French Creek Pollution Control Centre for treatment. For details on the Pump and Haul Service please visit www.pumpandhaul.ca.

    Project Update – June 25th, 2013

    Petitions have been received for the proposed Hawthorne Rise sewer main extension project. Of the 19 properties in the proposed service area 12 owners have indicated they are in favour of proceeding with the project. The outcome of the petition will be included in a staff report going forward to the Committee of the Whole on July 9th and the Board on July 23rd.

    Those wishing to address Board members may do so as a delegation at either the Committee of the Whole or Board meeting, please contact the RDN Corporate Services Department to make the necessary arrangements.

    RDN Corporate Services Phone: 390-4111 or 1-877-607-4111
    Fax: 390-4163 E-mail: inquiries [at] rdn.bc.ca (inquiries[at]rdn[dot]bc[dot]ca)

    Project Update: May 16, 2013

    The petition process for the establishment of sanitary sewer servicing on Hawthorne Rise has been delayed. This delay is a result of insufficient information being provided to residents in the initial petition process early in March 2013. The petitions residents received in March did not provide information on costs associated with inclusion into the French Creek Sanitary Sewer Service Area. Costs to become part of the French Creek system include an annual parcel tax and user fees. The petitions for the proposed Hawthorne Rise sewer service are being updated and will be sent to all residents for their consideration. The updated Hawthorne Rise sanitary sewer petition will be mailed to you by the end of May 2013. If residents are in favour of the petition they will be asked to respond to the RDN by June 21st 2013. This will allow staff sufficient time to prepare a report for the July 2013 Board meeting.

    Hawthorne Rise Resident's Meeting

    St. Columba Hall
    December 6, 2012

    This meeting was held to provide residents of Hawthorne Rise and staff members of the RDN Water & Utilities Service Department an opportunity to discuss issues related to the proposed extension of sewer in their neighbourhood.

    Information provided both by the RDN and residents was intended to assist residents in their deliberations on and determination of their next steps.

    Questions and Answers

    1. Why are we having this meeting?
      There has been interest expressed by some residents on Hawthorne Rise in extending sanitary sewer service to their neighbourhood. Service extensions are not typically straight forward and there is a significant amount of information residents require in order to make a decision on whether or not to proceed with this proposal. This meeting is being held to provide as much information as possible on the proposal and to answer resident's questions.

    2. Are we making a decision tonight on whether to proceed?
      No. This is an information meeting only. Residents will need to consider the information they receive tonight before they will be in a position to consider proceeding with this proposal.

      SERVICE EXTENSION PROCESS:

    3. What is a petition?
      A petition is a private, individual, formal means of gaining support to form the service area and to approve a borrowing bylaw. Without the petition approvals we cannot undertake the design and construction of the works.

    4. How does a petition pass/fail
      The petitioning process would succeed if at least 50% of the property owners return a valid signed petition, AND if the value of the valid petitions makes up at least 50% of the assessed values of the properties being petitioned.

    5. What is the process; petition/board approvals/public meetings etc.?
      Staff would prepare individual petitions for mailing, and then set a deadline for review/return of the petitions. A public information meeting may be held before or during the petitioning process to answer questions. Once the petitioning date has passed, the petitions are validated and tallied. If the necessary majority is met, a report is presented to the RDN Board of Directors indicating the level of support along with a recommendation on whether to proceed or not. If the recommendation is to proceed, and the Board has no objections, then an establishing bylaw and borrowing bylaw are given 3 readings and sent to the Inspector of Municipalities (IOM) in Victoria for senior government review/approval. If the IOM approves the bylaw(s) the Board can then give final reading and adoption of the bylaws. Once this has happened, staff can proceed with appointing an engineer to undertake the site surveys and design/tendering of the project. If the tendering (public bid) is within budget, the project is awarded and construction of the system can begin.

    6. Do I still pay if I don't want sewer and the petition passes?
      Yes, if the majority of the property owners within the defined service area agree to the construction, then all roperties within the petitioned area pay for the cost of the sewer installation.

      PROJECT COSTS:

    7. What are costs for the sewer main extensions based on?
      The RDN has reviewed recent actual costs incurred in the Barclay Crescent Sewer Project (2006), Reid Road Sewer Extension (2007) and engineering cost estimates prepared for the Surfside neighbourhood(2007).

    8. What is estimated cost per property for the sewer line installation?
      The cost for the installation of the sanitary sewer extension is estimated to be $20,000 per property. This includes the Capital Cost Charge in place for new services ($2,780). This cost does not include on-site costs to decommission individual septic tanks and connect to service stubs at the property line.

    9. Are there contingencies built into the cost?
      Yes, there is 15% contingency built into the estimate.

    10. Can we get a grant for this project?
      There are no federal, provincial or municipal grants available at this time. If grants became available and this project was eligible then the RDN would make an application.

    11. What happens if this project is built and it comes in under budget?
      Costs to the residents will reflect the actual cost to complete the project. So if the project comes in lower then your costs are lower.

    12. What happens if the final construction cost is higher than what is being estimated?
      Detailed (final) engineering design is completed once we have a commitment to proceed from the residents (i.e. they have signed a petition). We then get tendered prices for the work. If construction costs come in higher than what was spelled out in the petition then we must go back to you, the participating residents, and get approval before we can proceed, or the project can proceed in stages up to the agreed budget amount.

      PROJECT CONSTRUCTION:

    13. How do you see the sewer system being constructed?
      The sewer system would likely be constructed from the cul-de-sac at the south end of Hawthorne Rise northwards to the existing sewer main on Hawthorne Rise at White Pine Way. The final design may determine alternate routing and cost savings in alignment.

    14. Can the residents carry out the project themselves?
      It is possible for the residents to carry out the project themselves. In this case the residents would be acting as a "developer". As a developer the residents would be required to have the engineering design carried out by a registered professional engineer to RDN standards, be responsible for obtaining quotes for the project, financing the project, providing professional oversight of the project and providing a 1 year maintenance bond for the works. On completion the works would be turned over to the RDN.

    15. Why are the three properties on Meadow Drive included?
      Including the three properties on Meadow Drive is being considered as a cost-saving measure to all parties. The greater number of property owners paying for the construction project, the less the costs are for everyone involved. Disturbing and replacing newer pavement, curb, and gutters on Meadow Drive is likely to be more costly for those three property owners, than piggy-backing on the Hawthorne Rise sewer project.

    16. What happens if we extend the sanitary sewer main now, then in the future a property that did not participate wants to connect?
      Once a new sewer main is installed, it becomes the property of the Regional District. Adjacent property owners do have a right to apply for a connection to the sewer main whether they participated in the original construction cost or not. However, in the future, if a property owner BEYOND the end of the extended sewer main wishes to connect then that property owner(s) must extend the sewer main at their cost.

    17. Can a Latecomers Agreement be considered?
      The RDN only enters into "Latecomer Agreements" with developers. As a Regional District project, the Hawthorne Rise sewer extension would not be eligible for a latecomer agreement.

      FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

    18. Why do we have to pay for it, doesn't the RDN have the money?
      The RDN does not have a General Revenue account for construction of sewer services. In the Regional District, the cost of creating or improving each service area is paid for by the established service area property owners only. In time the RDN would build up a reserve within the sewer service area for repairs or replacement of the existing sewer. There is no existing reserve account for the south section of Hawthorne Rise.

    19. How is the system financed?
      The RDN would borrow the money through the Municipal Finance Authority (MFA) at the market rates available at the time of borrowing. The rate used currently for estimating costs of this project is 5%, but may be lower or higher depending on whether long term borrowing rates change before the actual borrowing is completed. The rate is fixed for 10 years at a time although the borrowing will likely be amortized over 20 years. The rate for the second 10 year period is set when the debt is renewed at the end of the first 10 years. Recent borrowing from the MFA for another project was at 2.7%.

    20. How do we then pay for the project?
      The RDN would provide two options to residents for payment. Payment could be added to each owner's annual parcel taxes and amortized over 20 years, or a property owner could pay a lump sum up front of his/her share of the construction amount (before borrowing is done). The lump sum payment would be calculated once the project construction is complete and all costs are accounted for.

    21. Can we defer our parcel taxes?
      Yes, all or a portion of your annual parcel taxes can be deferred. However, annual user fees cannot be deferred. You must be 55 or older, have at least 25% equity in your property and have paid up any arrears before entering into the deferral program.

    22. Are there other costs once the service is established?
      Yes, there is an annual user fee for all properties connected to the sanitary sewer system. The 2012 user fee for French Creek Sanitary Sewer System was $159.30.
    23. Can I pay off my portion of the amount owing at some date after the loan borrowing has occurred?
      The RDN financing approach for projects is not structured like a normal loan. The funds are financed through debentures or bonds. If you want to pay off the loan after borrowing has occurred, you can pay a lump sum amount that is the equivalent to the annual payments for the balance of the payback period. You would not save any money, you would simple pay off the balance and the RDN makes the payments on your behalf.

      If you anticipate a situation where funds may become available in the future (thus allowing you to pay off the full amount owing) then we recommend that you make arrangements with your bank to borrow the necessary funds up front, and arrange payments that suit your situation. This will give you the flexibility with respect to payment amounts and lump sum payments.

    Hawthorne Rise Properties Map

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