Our County Council was scheduled to vote on Resolution 327 regarding the Trappe Lakeside development at their April 12 meeting, but Councilperson Laura Price reminded those in attendance that the Planning Commission hadn’t yet made a decision. Council Vice President Pete Lesher was also on vacation and attending via video.
The resolution requiring ENR (Enhanced Nutrient Removal) wastewater treatment in Trappe before 120 homes could be connected must first be approved by the Planning Commission, and Resolution 327 is now scheduled for consideration at their April 22 meeting at 9 AM in the Wye Oak room of Talbot County Community Center. They could be expecting a crowd.
Approval of a proclamation to promote awareness of April as Flood Awareness Month was followed by a lengthy discussion of growth and traffic issues; but most resolutions on the agenda received little comment. They will be subject to a vote following consideration by the Planning Commission.
Trappe East Holdings and Business Trust attorney Ryan Showalter did take this opportunity to address Resolution 327. He began by suggesting that Resolution 327 should not be considered at all because it was not first forwarded to the Department of Public Works, and was therefore procedurally flawed.
Both Public Works and the Planning Commission must consider resolutions before a Council vote is taken. There could still be time? He also suggested that Resolution 327 is discriminatory, as it targets a single development.
He then described wastewater treatment plant violations on Tilghman Island, pointed out that houses were still built there, and that Trappe’s plant has far fewer violations – just 3 over the past 3 years. He did not mention that those violations have sometimes lasted for months, or that there’s no development of Lakeside’s scale on Tilghman.
Trappe Councilmember Brian Schmidt also offered his viewpoint as a member of the town’s council. He pointed out that the fish are still jumping and ducks are still flying over Trappe Creek. He also fears that a “certain contingency” who has never attended a meeting in Trappe may feel “Trappe is cowboying around without regard for public safety.” He suggested that anyone who had attended the town’s meetings would know that phosphorus is “already to ENR standards,” pathogens are being managed, and we just have to upgrade our plant to get the nitrogen in order.” He assured us that “our operator is doing what he can,” and “Trappe is not a failing plant.”
It would be updated eventually, and then there’s the bottom line. Mr, Schmidt shared that if Resolution 327 were adopted the town of Trappe would have to return $630,000 to the developer to upgrade Trappe’s plant to ENR standards before connections are made. With interest, that would translate to $1,637.62 per resident – all for 18 months of compliance (or possibly 3 years, as he suggested recently) for as many as 120 new homes. He summarized, “You’re penalizing Trappe for not having the funding for an ENR plant sooner,”
That’s a tough assessment, but timing is clearly an issue. Our Comprehensive Plan requires that wastewater treatment must meet “the most current state requirements” before new developments are connected. Our Planning Commission has also withdrawn its approval of Resolution 281 permitting up to 120 new homes to be connected to Trappe’s currently underperforming plant, and their approval is required.
Underperforming plants must always be addressed, but intentionally connecting up to 120 homes to one? Is it any wonder that a project of this scale has been challenged? Supplemental wastewater treatment has been mentioned. Are modular units being considered? Our state currently has a huge surplus. Could a grant be available for a town struggling to provide up-to-date service?
The Planning Commission seems likely to approve Resolution 327 for our County Council’s vote. Promoting our health and safety is a requirement of our Comprehensive Plan, and a solution that could not be interpreted as compromising our well-being for a development of unprecedented scale would seem to be in all of our best interests.
Carol Voyles is a graphic designer/illustrator who retired to the Eastern Shore and became interested in politics. She serves as communications chair for the Talbot County Democratic Forum and lives in Easton.
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