Paradise homeowner unhappy waiting for town to deliver sewer service

A resident of Paradise says he's frustrated as the town grows and develops around him, but his home is still without sewer service.

Kevin French has lived on Harcourt Road in Paradise for 40 years, and he said as a taxpaying resident, it's unacceptable that his home and two others on his street have water service – but not sewer.

"Between myself and my neighbours here, we're doing without, and there's no fairness in it," he said.

"The older people here — my neighbours and that — have [given] up on it. They're just frustrated with fighting with the town."

French said the majority of the houses on his street actually have sewer service, as those homes had full service installed in 1997.

I think it's kind of backward and it's not a fair system.- Kevin French

But French's home, and two others, sit below the crest of a hill, and a sewage lift station would have been needed to overcome gravity and move sewage up the hill — at a large extra cost to the town.

French said his taxes are reduced by about $300 dollars a year, but any savings don't make up for the added costs of a septic system.

"There's no bargain here on taxes," he said.

On the next street over, Clearview Heights, houses that were also left without sewer service 22 years ago because of the same crest are now getting connected with full service. 

"They left this street out, the only reason Clearview's being done is because they're putting [in] a roundabout," French said. 

"It would make more sense to do this street along with Clearview … I think it's kind of backward and it's not a fair system."

As a new development grew just a few hundred metres downhill from his home, French contacted the town with what he thought would be an opportunity to connect his home with sewer service.

Streets serviced by priority

Paradise Mayor Dan Bobbett, however, said developers are responsible for services on new lots, and streets in the community receive sewer service on a priority basis.

"I understand and I sympathize with his dilemma, but we stick to the list, just because it was established and prioritized," he said.

As for the work on the adjacent street, Bobbett said sewer service is being connected there because road work is already underway.

"Clearview Heights is probably a bit of an anomaly because we've got money to do the road work, the widening of the road, so obviously when the road was torn up already, then we finish off whatever's in that area," he said.

"We wouldn't want to tear it up twice, we wouldn't want to pave the road and then have to tear it up a year later for a couple extra houses on the end of that street."

Bobbett said French's street is on the list to get sewer service in the near future.

The mayor said there are about 11 streets left on that list and all should have the service in the next three to five years.