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Highlands Today

Smelly Situation

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John Leonard

Published: December 6, 2007

Recently there appeared several articles about the privately owned sewage plant off Thunderbird Road, serving a small subdivision in this area. Let me share facts and thoughts about this debacle.

The present owner appears to be David Plank, who inherited this facility from his now deceased father, Seth Plank, about six years ago. The elder Mr. Plank subdivided and platted this area mostly consisting of Sunbird Circle, about 50 to 60 lots zoned for mobile home single- and double-wide units. Understand, as a developer a business was created to make a profit on the sale of lots. Part of the plan was to provide a treatment plant to serve this development. A cheap, substandard plant was built with a planned obsolesces to be 20-25 years.

Well folks that time has arrived. Proposed now is to have the city of Sebring, Highlands County, or even a large grant from the state to bail out this business. I can't for the life of me, and trying to let common sense prevail, understand how and why any government agency would consider a bailout plan for the owner.

These property owners and agencies should band together and insist that the owner be responsible for and re-build of this facility at his cost. Understand, a profit was gained from the sale of lots and units to these people in this area. It was included in their covenants when they bought in. These residents, and I as a taxpayer, do not wish to ante up to bailout another business in trouble that cries wolf. I invoke the city and county commissioners to think through their decision to include common sense.

John Leonard
Sebring

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