Hobart residents told they'll have water say Petitions to the Village Board seek a ban on water construction By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle After some steam was let off, a water issue in the village of Hobart cooled slightly after petitioners filed papers seeking to stop possible construction that would bring municipal water to homes. The petitioners said the water was not necessary because of the good quality of village wells, and the relatively sparse population in most areas. They expressed concern that the village had already sought bids on the project, but Village President Len Teresinski said the bids were just being used to study costs of the project. He promised to hold an informational meeting in February to discuss the issue. The project is the third stage of a 10-year water plan in the village. The plan has only a minor connection to plans by the Central Brown County Water Authority to bring Green Bay's Lake Michigan water to suburban areas. Filed Tuesday was a direct legislation petition, requiring the board to vote on holding off on the project for two years or unless a majority of property owners affected approve. Kevin Vandenhouten, who presented the petitions, said a survey of 384 people showed 94 percent were against the project. Those opposed to the project say they were not necessarily against the water authority's plans, just the proposed Hobart project. Teresinski retorted that if they were against the Hobart project, they were against the authority. He said the project was to deal with possible problems in the future. "It was determined a long time ago that by 2010 we'd run out of water," he said, to some disagreement from those attending the meeting. Those circulating the petition said they had not had input, and that meetings should be "aggressively publicized." A statement distributed at the meeting said the average parcel owner would have to pay between $10,000 and $13,000, as well as an additional $500 to $800 yearly. Hobart is on the western end of the aquifers flowing east through Brown County, and has managed to avoid some of the contamination problems affecting other communities, such as Bellevue. Vandenhouten said it was wrong to start a major project because only a few people had reported bad water. "If we lived in Bellevue and we asked, they'd say 'sorry, we can't do that,'" he said. Teresinski said that contrary to some reports being circulated in Hobart, the village could not sign contracts without a public hearing. One public information session has been held, and Teresinski promised to hold another sometime in February after bids are received on the project. "I think we should look at the real numbers on this," he said. Eventually, Teresinski said he could live with a three-year hold on the project. The issue could be combined with a state project to bring water and sewer coverage to the Sanger Powers Correctional Institution in Oneida. The lines could run through Howard. The institution is having problems with its storage lagoons. In addition, there is a possibility the facility could expand as other similar minimum-security facilities close; the Powers site is popular because of urban demand for its inmates as workers. The Hobart project would just include water lines, not sewer service.