Editor,
I wish to clarify the ECHO Village water/sewer information reported from the March 25 city council meeting, and respond to those that believe city council reduced some of the sewer and water hookup fees.
The city fees were broken down into sewer connection fees, sewer capacity fees, and water meter install and connection fees. ECHO Village had already paid private contractors to hook up to the sewer system, so in fact the fee reduction from $2400 to $300 by no means represented a fee waiver. All of the sewer and water lines in the village were installed at ECHO Village’s own expense.
The sewer capacity charge is based on the average water usage of homes in Eureka Springs, but given these are small 400-600 sq. ft. homes, most with only one occupant and all with energy efficient construction/appliances and planned xeriscaping, water usage should be well below the average.
Water meter connection locations are paired, so the city is not going all over Eureka to install eight meters, but to one location (The Village) and four spots within the Village.
Finally, this is the only housing project in the city I am aware of that is providing low cost, quality homes for housing insecure persons/families, with sliding scale rents based on income and ability to pay. Over the years I have heard many residents, including city council, complain of the high rents for substandard rental homes/apartments, and their high utility bills to maintain a minimal comfort in extreme weather (some landlords certainly take care of their properties).
Residents, city council, and economic development committees keep asking why more new and affordable homes can’t be built, and all of the above is a great example of why.
ECHO Village is a non-profit organization, makes no profit from the rental of these units, and I think the city should cut the Village some slack where it can. Echo Village is not asking for freebies from the city, just reasonable charges to reflect the careful planning put in place to make this project economical and high quality. I’ll close by thanking the volunteers (individual and skilled contractors) for help in building these current 8 homes, the 2 new ones starting construction in May, and then 16 more after that. If there ever is a Village II, maybe it should be built outside city limits?
D Rude