Windham Town Council establishes sewer rate for North Windham wastewater system

By Ed Pierce

During the final Windham Town Council meeting of the year on Dec. 9, councilors established a sewer rate for the new North Windham Sewer District, setting the amount at $16 per cubic feet per month based upon usage effective April 1, 2026.

Members of the Windham Town Council listen to a
presentation about Freedom of Access Act rules during
a meet8ing at Windham Town Hall on Dec. 9. From
left are Councilors Katie Cook, Maggie Terry, David
Nadeau and Mark Morrison. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE

Windham Town Manager Robert Burns said that this initial rate is offset by Tax Increment Financing funding, and the rate could eventually decrease as more businesses in North Windham start using the sewer system.

“We have put in a terrific amount of time doing research and analyzing our budgets and trying to project into the future the operational costs in conjunction with the water district for this facility,” Burns said. “Recognizing that at initial startup the plant will not be anywhere near full capacity or even at half capacity. We will be subsidizing some TIF funds to keep those rates affordable for our businesses.”

Still under construction, a new wastewater treatment facility is being built on the grounds of Manchester School in North Windham. It was approved by voters in 2023 and is expected to remove 25,000 pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants each year being dumped by septic systems into the aquifer and watershed. The installation of sewers is expected to stimulate significant economic growth in Windham and lead to development in the area by industries and businesses not willing to locate here because of associated septic system issues and costs.

Through an agreement between RSU 14 and the Town of Windham, in exchange for locating the new wastewater treatment site at Manchester School, the town has created four new playing fields for youth sports at the school. RSU 14 will also be able to shift its wastewater treatment operations at Windham High School to the new facility.

The new North Windham Wastewater Treatment facility will use Membrane Bio-Reactor technology with innovative drip dispersal and will be the first system to use drip dispersal of this scale in Maine. This technology is designed to improve the quality of local groundwater and local waterways, and was selected for its reliability, flexibility, and cost effectiveness.

Burns told the council that the TIF subsidy is $6 per cubic feet per month and amounts to more than $1 million in TIF funds.

Councilors also awarded $1.2 million to Wyman & Simpson, Inc. for the town’s portion of $607,250 in general obligation bond funding for replacing Varney’s Bridge on William Knight Road in conjunction with the Maine Department of Transportation. Seven bids were submitted to replace the bridge, which was originally built in 1950.

During a MaineDOT inspection six years ago, issues were found with the bridge’s concrete abutments, and reduced the allowable load to 3 tons, making it not possible for construction trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and other large vehicles to cross the bridge because of the weight limitation.

The bridge is a steel structure and scouring from the river has caused erosion where the bridge’s concrete abutments contact the water. There has also been rusting on the steel supports which need to be replaced.

Bridge replacement work is expected to start this coming spring and be completed by summer 2026.

The council also awarded a disbursement of $3,766 from the Substance Prevention Grant Program Fund to fund Windham Middle School’s orchestra and choral student participation during the Trills & Thrills Music Festival in New Hampshire next spring. Councilor Maggie Terry questioned how the funding fits the criteria for a substance prevention grant but was informed that the program allows grants for healthy and positive activities. The Trills and Thrills Music Festival is a non-competitive, motivational, one-day music festival for students attending elementary, middle school and high school bands, orchestras and choirs.

In other actions, the council voted to appoint Councilor Katie Cook as representative to the Natural Resources Advisory Committee, and the Master Fee Schedule pertaining to Shoreland Zoning application review fees.

Councilors approved updating the town’s Shoreland Zoning District fees to $75 for clearing or removal of vegetation and the zoning review fee to $250. Burns said that the fee changes are intended to better reflect the complexity and staff time involved in reviewing applications within the shoreland zoning districts, particularly those involving expansions of non-conforming structures and "greatest practical extent" determinations which often require moving structures away from the waterbody or wetland.

The council also received Freedom of Access Act training presented by Town Attorney Ben McCall of the Drummond Woodsum Law Firm and reviewed an informational handout regarding the upcoming sewer connection process in the new year. Windham Planning Director Steve Puleo briefed councilors about a new timeline for an updated 2016 Town Comprehensive Plan requiring changes mandated by the Maine Legislature’s approval of LD 1751 requiring legal compliance, address housing affordability, and sustainable growth for the next decade. LD 1751 requires municipalities to adopt housing-friendly policies, including density allowances and streamlined permitting. <