KPCA - Sewer Proposal Not Good For Kings Park

The idea of bringing a sewer line and its contents from Main Street Smithtown up Rte 25a and connecting them to the sewage treatment plant in Kings Park “stinks”. This seems to be the consensus of the Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA).  At a meeting Thursday evening, members of the association and Kings Park residents gathered to discuss Legislator John Kennedy’s proposal to expand the capacity and upgrade the existing sewage treatment plant in Kings Park.    

According to Kennedy, his proposal to increase sewage capacity for the business areas of Smithtown and Kings Park will help ease restrictions on existing businesses wishing to expand. The proposal will also allow the Town’s downtown areas to favorably compete for businesses not currently located in the Town.  This proppsal is predicted to cost about $80 million.

KPCA is not a newcomer to this issue. At Thursday’s meeting Linda Henninger, chair of the KPCA’s sewer committee, was armed with a file of correspondence regarding the proposal dating back to  2008. She expressed dismay at the lack of information coming out of the Legislator’s office.  “Kennedy doesn’t represent Kings Park and is looking out for his constituents interest, not Kings Park.”stated Henninger.  Members of KPCA would like to have Kings Park’s needs addressed and not be bundled with Smithtown’s needs.  According to both Kennedy and KPCA the cost for Kings Park going it alone would be approximately $20 million.   Listening to residents speak at Thursday’s meeting it is clear they are not pleased with being the recepticle for Smithtown’s sewerage. In addition, KPCA members say they are frustrated that the proposal calls for leeching fields in a designated conservation area.

The trigger for a more active role by the KPCA was learning that the County has invested $1.8 million in its proposal, which includes a study from the engineering firm H2M, giving great detail and credibility to Legislator Kennedy’s proposal.  “Spending that kind of money on a plan that puts leeching fields in a conservation area leads us to believe that this plan is further along and moving faster than we understood.” said Henninger. Association members were unanimous in their call to stop planning and spending money on a plan that they claim is at best “flawed”.  KPCA is calling for the County to review alternative actions that include unbundling the Kings Park Sewer District from the Smithtown Sewer District and finding alternative sites. KPCA Board President Sean Lehman represented the association’s position as being “sewers are good and we want them; however, the proposal to bring Smithtown’s sewage into Kings Park is not in our best interest.  We believe that there are better sites for Smithtown’s sewage than bringing it into Kings Park. The County has not looked for an alternative site even though the Town has a list of twenty one possible sites which they believe and we believe are better.” 

Legislator  Kennedy spoke of his plans at a Kings Park Chamber of Commerce meeting in September.  Kennedy, a passionate supporter of sewering as a way to improve downtown areas in Kings Park and Smithtown, spoke of ongoing negotiations with St. Johnland Nursing Center to establish leeching fields on their property. St. Johnland is planning to increase its footprint on its property creating a continuous care facility and needs to address its waste disposal. This may present an opportunity for the county to access their site.  KPCA is not happy with this proposal and they will fight any proposal to put a leeching field on property that is designated for conservation use. 

Another issue for KPCA is the smell that is associated with the plant. Residents living close to the existing plant complain of horrible smells that reduce the value of their homes. The county has no record of complaints about the existing facility, but stated that there are odor containing structures that could be used to address odor complaints. KPCA  members  expressed a disbelief in the county’s documentation of complaints at the current sewage treatment facility off St. Johnland Road.  At least one resident in the audience, a gentleman, who lives near the facility explained in detail his complaint about the plant and an exchange of emails with Senator Flanagan regarding odors at the site.   A change in his work shift caused him to be home during the day when he noticed a terrible stench.  At first, thinking it was a cesspool problem, he checked his and a neighbor’s cesspool. After talking with the neighbor he realized that this was not an isolated incident the oder was coming from trucks dumping at the plant. 

While both sides are far from agreeing on the sewer proposal they do agree that sewers are the way to go.