Sewer talk flows down temporarily

The city has delayed taking its first step toward extending sewers to 60 acres in the northwestern part of the New Berlin to allow the development of a new industrial park.

The New Berlin Utility Committee decided last night to delay a vote on the prospect until its next meeting in September.

The land, roughly in the 19000 block of West Lincoln Avenue, is part of the Geipel Certified Sod farm, whose owners want to develop the property into an industrial park. Businesses there could potentially use the railroad line that runs north of the property.

A vote was delayed because two aldermen wanted more time to meet with sod farm representatives. The committee also want to make sure the sewer boundary extension request would be handled the same way the extension was that resulted in New Berlin West High School getting sewer service.

The sod farm owner submitted a sewer study that concluded the sewers can handle industrial park development, even if all undeveloped land already inside the sewer service area is developed. That conclusion has been backed by New Berlin City Engineer J.P. Walker.