A Cook Street resident wants to know why it’s so expensive to install re-circulation pumps.

Elizabeth Ryan appeared before city council Monday during the public hearing into the proposed bylaw that would impose a local improvement charge on Cook Street property owners to assist with the cost of reconstructing the street next year.

Ryan she understands residents are being asked to install re-circulation pumps as a means of saving water and lessening the wear and tear on the water and sewer system.

But the cost of the pump alone is $500. And, quotes to have the home outfitted with the required plumbing are coming in at between $1,500 and $2,500, she told council.

“I would like to ask if anybody can explain to me why it cost so much?”

No response was provided to Ryan on Monday night.

Older homes in the downtown area and elsewhere in the city typically use a bleeder in the winter. That allows water to circulate at a trickle around the clock to prevent pipes from freezing.

Water comes in from the water main and is circulated right back to the sewer main. A re-circulation pump does away with wasting water.

The $7.4-million reconstruction project is scheduled to go ahead next year if the residents vote to approve their $632,409 share of the cost.

Votes must be cast by May 21, and approval is required by 50 per cent plus for the project to proceed. There are more than 40 residential and commercial properties on the street.

Under the proposed bylaw, the vast majority of residential properties would be charged $9,837, to be paid over 15 years at an annual payment of $1,029.

The largest share of the improvement is being assessed against one of the commercial properties – $82,323, to be paid back over 15 years in annual payments of $8,615.

Heather Kennedy, another Cook Street property owner, told council she simply needs more time to assess the project proposal and the bylaw to impose the local improvement charge.

Residents only received the information package from the city on April 11, Kennedy said, and now they’re being asked to vote yes or no by May 21.

“Not everybody on Cook Street can come up with that kind of cash,” she pointed out.

Residents would be charged their share of the cost over the 15-year period at an interest rate of 6.25 per cent.

Kennedy said she’s also concerned about the level of ground water saturation in the area. She wonders what it might mean for the local improvement charge if crews run into trouble during construction because of excessive ground water.

Mike Gau, the city’s director of development services, explained to council that once the bylaw is approved by street residents, their share of the cost is locked in.

If anything, it might come down a bit, depending on the interest rate the city gets when it borrows the money for the project but it won’t go up, he explained.

Gau told council local improvement charges are assessed on the cost of the surface works only – pavement, sidewalks, curb and gutters.

The cost of the underground reconstruction with the replacement of water and sewer mains and such is not included in the improvement charge, he explained.

If things go south during the underground work, Gau said, it would not have any impact on the property owners.