Angler exec is mum on plan details

Details of Angler's proposal to build a $100 million water- and sewer-treatment complex will be made public - but not just yet, a company executive told the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.

The move to keep terms behind closed doors was not what Salem District Supervisor Tom Underwood had in mind. He asked Angler Executive Vice President Steve Vento why he sought to keep the details temporarily under wraps.

"Until we have a clearer financial agreement, I'd like to keep that private," Vento said, adding that financing negotiations are ongoing and should be complete within two weeks.

"My concern is that this will be the largest project in Culpeper County," Underwood replied. "There needs to be a role for adequate transparency."

Underwood, Catalpa District Supervisor Sue Hansohn and Board Chairman Bill Chase voted to discuss the matter in open session. However, their efforts were defeated in a 4-3 vote.

During the open-session portion of Tuesday's meeting, Vento, manager of Culpeper Utility Partners - what the limited liability company formed for the project is calling itself - explained how the proposal would get off the ground. He spoke to the board for about 30 minutes, outlining the company's plans and pointing out the routing of project elements.

"As an overview, what we will do is we would enter into develop-build agreements" to complete the project, Vento said.

He added that three sources: sewer line access fees, wastewater treatment access fees and water tap fees would serve as a basis for revenue.

Including financing, Vento said, the total project would be $108 million; the cost would be amortized over 25 years.

Angler approached the county under the state's Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act, a program that encourages private funding for public projects.

The Warrenton-based company's preliminary plan could include three wells, pump stations, two water tanks, a sewage plant near Mountain Run and 4½ miles of pipe. He said all aspects of the project would be designed to meet the county's needs for 50 years, including all the pipes; therefore, replacing pipes to expand the system's capacity shouldn't be necessary.

Supervisor Steve Nixon asked if the plant would need to operate under maximum load right from the start. Vento said it wouldn't.

After his presentation, Vento introduced about a dozen attorneys, surveyors and construction company heads who are closely involved in the project.

"The team has looked at the plan for six months," he said.

Underwood questioned Angler on its ability to collect the necessary tap fees and how the project would influence growth in Culpeper over the next 25 years.

"You control the growth," Vento said, gesturing to the supervisors "Everybody up there."

Underwood disagreed.

"I wish that I agreed with your assumption of our power to control the growth," Underwood responded.

"Historically, in our county, there has been politicization of utilities," he said. "(The system) needs to be funded by those using it, not the taxpayers. Certainly, as I stated before, politics needs to be removed."

Vento agreed, saying, "We both have the same goal in mind - to get the best deal."

"It does not make sense for the county to be dependent on another" entity, Underwood said.

Hansohn, also chairwoman of the Water and Sewer Committee, suggested county officials begin work on an alternative plan just in case the Angler deal is not satisfactory.

State regulations mandate a 2010 completion for any water and sewer project the county might undertake.

"If we have a timeline," she said, "we have to have another way to skin the cat."

The board has said that public input will be received before any decisions are made. However, a date for that input has yet to be determined.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .