SPANISH FORT, Ala.—The ongoing debate regarding sewer services inched closer to resolution this week amid improved communication between city officials and service providers as well as a public apology by District 1 Councilman Dennis Dismuke during Monday’s regular council meeting.

Dismuke apologized for calling the council’s recent rejection of a moratorium on the construction and installation of sewer lines within the city limits “irresponsible.”

“I was upset, as many of you know,” Dismuke said, noting he is still committed to moving forward to resolve the issue, but he regrets making the statement in a public forum.

The fight, he said, is far from over, but he is encouraged by an amicable meeting 10 days ago between him, fellow council members, Building Official Bruce Renkert and officials with Baldwin County Sewer Services LLC.

“I think that we have made a lot of progress with Baldwin County Sewer providing documentation that was missing, and I think this is definitely a step in the right direction,” Dismuke said.

Indeed, Renkert said BCSS has finally produced “as-built plans” for the city’s consideration that document where lines are being run, how deeply they’re installed and their proximity to other utilities among other things.

“It hasn’t really been  an issue until lately, so whether it was a lack of asking or a lack of providing, who knows, but as a result of our meeting we probably have about 80 percent of the documentation we were missing, and I expect it to be caught up completely within a few days,” Renkert said.

At issue is the city’s lack of standards and specifications for sewer services, and Dismuke has argued since before his election to the council in 2008 that the issue becomes a public nuisance at best and a public health hazard at worst when left unchecked. Dismuke, a plumber by trade, said the issue was actually a determining factor in his decision to seek office.

“There is still reluctance on the part of the city and the part of Baldwin County Sewer for us to move forward with our own standards and specifications that we have a right and, in my opinion, a responsibility to pursue,” he said. Specifically, he objects to the city accepting the private company’s standards “without oversight and without inspections.”

“We deal with a lot of drainage issues in this city, and the city needs to take a more active role in reviewing what is being installed; making sure we have oversight of what is being installed; and then holding engineers, developers and builders responsible for any problems that arise on their end,” Dismuke said. “I think it is very important that we vigorously pursue our own standards and specifications to be sure anything being installed within our city limits meets the needs of our citizens without negatively impacting their health and safety.”

And because officials with Daphne Utilities have expressed interest in the possibility of expanding their services within Spanish Fort, Dismuke said he still believes now is an excellent time to step back and assess the options available.

“(Daphne Utilities officials) have told me that they are willing to work with us in any areas of the city we’re willing to discuss,” Dismuke said.

For the moment, however, he said he is encouraged by opened lines of communication and wants to work toward hiring an independent engineering firm to review the standards provided by BCSS.

“Daphne has offered a copy of their standards for review as well as the city of Magnolia Springs, and I think by looking at the approaches taken by our neighbors as well as an independent review of what we’re dealing with can help us develop our own standards for what we do and do not allow within our city limits,” he said.

Although he has not received a formal quote on the price of services, Dismuke said a Magnolia Springs staff member told him that city spent $1,500 for the review.

“We’re not talking about a big-budget item, and to me it would be money well spent because there are some changes—some specific changes —I would like to see,” he said.

Dismuke’s short list includes the following:

Charlie Baumhauer, marketing director for BCSS, said the city and his company have “always enjoyed an excellent relationship” without which portions of the Causeway would be without sewer services and the Eastern Shore Centre would have become part of Daphne.

“Baldwin County Sewer Services provides sewer and all of the infrastructure required at no cost to the city and provides them with an income stream through the franchise agreement,” Baumhauer said, reminding all parties involved that the services are—and always have been—voluntary.

“Every time we have been asked by the city to do something, we have been forthcoming and have responded in a timely manner. This phenomenon of unrest is new,” he said.

In fact, BCSS services are currently provided to only 20 Spanish Fort residences, representing barely 1 percent of the city’s estimated 2,400 residences. It was not immediately clear how many of the city’s total households would be candidates for sewer services.

Baumhauer said 180 Spanish Fort households have expressed interest in the company’s services since the franchise agreement with the city was amended in April 2007, but only 37 have made a financial commitment to move forward, excluding the 20 that have already come online.

Permitting issues and working around Alabama Department of Transportation plans to widen Highway 31 have slowed the process considerably in recent months.

“We just got the ALDOT permit to extend from Cemetery Road to Village Main, and we’re going to tie in with current construction on Blakeley Way from (Highway) 225 to Highway 31,” Baumhauer said. “The rights of way in Spanish Fort are full of all kinds of utilities, making it a monumental engineering feat to fit everything in, and then you throw in this widening business going on, and it all adds to the time.”

And as the largest private sewer provider – by geographic area – in the state, Baumhauer said BCSS has a reputation for providing sewer in “places no one else will go.”

“Municipalities historically lose money providing sewer and, quite frankly, their corporate lines really are their boundaries because it’s not financially prudent for them to extend any further out than that,” he said.

BCSS serves a 492-sqare-mile footprint, representing 2.5 million feet of line.

“BCSS and the city of Spanish Fort have always been on the same page, and we’re very excited to be a part of the growth in this area,” Baumhauer said.