I would like to respond to last week’s editorial titled “Gutter Ball.” For starters even though the Uncas avenue location wasn’t in the approved area for sewer expansion, it is in the downtown, commercially zoned area, which the sewer was originally planned for. The high water users there, which will soon include the bowling alley, have also paid the overwhelming majority of the bills associated with the sewer. For instance, my share for the construction of the plant is $46,000 and my usage bills are around $6,500 per year, three times a gallon of a low water user. Other high water users saw their bills for construction go upward of $100,000 and yearly usage of $20,000. The houses in around the Lagoon haven’t paid a dime for the sewer except for costs equally spread out around the entire town. Those outrageously high usage fees from the downtown are already paying for studies in the Lagoon area. As a downtown Oak Bluffs resident/business owner and an elected official, I applaud the sewering of the bowling alley and the great addition this new business will be to our town. I also believe in cleaning our ponds with the expense to be equally shared around the whole town.

Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs