September 6, 2012

Water deal clears way for Farmington apartments

By Matt Hongoltz-Hetling mhhetling@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media

FARMINGTON — Concerns that a proposed apartment building project on Fairbanks Road could contaminate the town's drinking water have been addressed, clearing the way for the $4 million project to move forward.

The water department approved an agreement that requires the developers of the proposed Brookside Village to monitor the water quality in a groundwater well at the site.

Developers Byron Davis and Bill Marceau, doing business as Farmington Land LLC, will also be required to test the well on a quarterly basis for contaminants over the course of the first year, according to Jane Woodman of Farmington Village Corporation, the water district.

The cost to test the well is $375 and the developers have agreed to assume that responsibility for the first year.

"At the end of the year, the water department will take over the costs of those tests and they'll decide what the frequency should be," Woodman said.

The monitoring well will be established at the roadside of the project, located about a mile north of downtown Farmington.

In the past, the town has expressed concern that runoff from the 32-unit building could contaminate the town's wellhead protection zone.

Before runoff leaves the site, it will be filtered through a wet pond that will capture some of the pollutants. The measure is designed to protect the town's well in the Sandy River from contaminants.

The 32-unit building will be targeted toward residents who have a low income and are 62 and older or disabled.

In March, town voters approved an application for a $500,000 federal grant that will extend a road and public utilities to the Brookside Village site.

The town's planning board is scheduled Monday to review the results of an engineering study at the site, conducted by engineering firm Tata and Howard.

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