Commissioners could vote to stop sewer project 

The seven members of the Cass County Board of Commissioners could decide the fate of the controversial Ontwa Township Wastewater Treatment Facility project this week.

A motion has been officially added to the board’s agenda for its regular meeting this week that, if passed, would officially halt any further activity by the township. The motion, which will be presented by District 3 Commissioner Roseann Marchetti, states the following:

A motion directing the Cass County Board of Public Works to suspend all work on the Ontwa Township Waste Water/Sewer Treatment Project until further notice or until such time that Ontwa Township resolves the Township’s contractual obligations Elkhart regarding sewage treatment.

Marchetti, a resident of Edwardsburg, spoke out against the project during the previous meeting of the board on Aug. 7.

During that meeting, several other residents of the Ontwa Township voiced their opposition to the proposed $8 million sewage plant, including Marchetti’s husband and township trustee, Jerry Marchetti.

The project, which calls for a new wastewater plant to be built outside of Garver Lake, is currently on a 120-day hold, which was ordered by the township board in May.

A seven-member sewer board is currently determining whether or not to proceed with the project, replacing the three-person board that previously recommended its construction.

Consternation from citizens over the issue has also resulted in recall petitions to be filed against five members of the Ontwa Township board, including all three of its officers.

The meeting of the Cass County Board of Commissioners begins at 6 p.m. with the Committee of the Whole, followed by the official meeting at 7 p.m.

Both meetings will take place at the commissioner’s chambers, which is located at the Cass County Annex in Cassopolis.