Last modified: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:05 AM EDT Norton needs cash to remedy school's ailing septic system BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF NORTON - With the Nourse Elementary School’s septic system wearing out, school officials will put a $200,000 to $300,000 sewer extension proposal before voters at the May 12 special town meeting. The school committee voted Monday night to reserve space on the town meeting agenda for the proposal. The request could also be proposed as part of the town’s capital improvements plan, committee Chairman Kevin O’Neil said. The Nourse School septic system, installed with the original building in 1959, has been identified as failing to meet the state’s Title 5 regulations, Superintendent Patricia Ansay said. School officials are "pumping the system very frequently," she said. "When you have to do that in the winter, it’s a sign that things are going in the wrong direction," Ansay said. Ansay said she asked Water-Sewer Superintendent Duane Knapp for advice. A consultant has recommended tying Nourse, on Plain Street, to the town’s wastewater treatment plant rather than replacing the septic system, Ansay said. Ansay said after meeting with Knapp and an engineer, she approved funding for "minor engineering." The engineer’s work will help determine the project’s cost, Ansay said. School officials have been encouraged to take out permits so they can start sooner than later if the town approves funding, Ansay said. The alternative is to pump the septic system "every month or so," she said. "We really need to have this work done this summer," Vice Chairman Thomas Golota said. "If we miss that window, can we survive another year?" Ansay said the Norton High School septic system also is in trouble. It’s being "held together with Band-Aids," she said. The potential for both systems to fail simultaneously is a concern, Ansay said.