DEERFIELD — Residents are invited to a public hearing regarding the fiscal year 2025 sewer rate on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 4 p.m. at Town Hall.

With several repair and maintenance projects on the horizon, the Selectboard/Sewer Commissioners will determine an appropriate rate for sewer users to pay.

The board briefly met on Sept. 25 to set a hearing date and lay out some of the major aspects that need to be considered when setting the rate.

“We have the outflow pipe to the river. … We have various other projects we need to think about starting to tackle, such as Old Deerfield, and pipes all around town that need to be replaced,” member Trevor McDaniel said at a Sept. 25 meeting. “Maybe it doesn’t fall into this sewer rate. … [The plan] would need more fleshing out from us.”

The FY24 sewer rate was approved at $20.94 per 1,000 gallons, which was an 11.1% increase from FY23’s $18.84 per 1,000 gallons.

The two major projects McDaniel mentioned are likely to be expensive propositions for the town, as the effluent pipe, at least when the board addressed it in July, was a $2 million repair, according to an early estimate.

The Old Deerfield Wastewater Treatment Plant is a longer-term project, as the facility will either need extensive repairs or a full replacement in the coming years due to its age. The process was formally kicked off in December 2022, as the town met with the nonprofits in Old Deerfield — Deerfield Academy, Historic Deerfield, The Bement School and Eaglebrook School — to collaborate on a solution.

In February of this year, the Selectboard and the nonprofits — led by Deerfield Academy Chief Financial Officer Matt Sheehy — presented early potential designs for the plant, which were independently reviewed by the engineering firm Weston & Sampson. The town’s plan involves an activated sludge system, which is the current way the plant operates, while the nonprofits have proposed a membrane bioreactor system.

Both designs are estimated to cost somewhere in the $16 million to $17 million range and discussions are ongoing.

Prior to the Oct. 30 hearing, the Selectboard/Sewer Commissioners will meet with DPC Engineering, the town’s wastewater and sewer consultant, to look at proposed rates, as well as scenarios for upcoming projects.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.