WINDSOR – Sewage pumping stations are sometimes a necessary evil.

The Windsor Board of Commissioners said Thursday they realize times will occur when pumping stations may have to come online, but adopted new guidelines for accepting those stations.

With the Bertie County School system in the midst of building a new elementary school near Windsor, the district had asked the town to accept a new pumping station from the school.

Town board members and Mayor Bob Spivey said Thursday they have continually made it clear they have no desire to add stations because of the long-term cost to the town and thus, the town’s taxpayers.

Spivey said Thursday research on the matter showed other towns in the area also wanted to avoid adding pumping stations and a policy in Greenville allowed stations to be added only if the cost of putting in gravity lines was three times more.

&uot;If we had a policy such as this, we wouldn’t have to discuss projects like the new school,&uot; Spivey said. &uot;We would be able to refer them to policy.&uot;

Spivey outlined costs to include the payroll for the person who had to check the pumping station daily and the maintenance costs. He also said the town was perilously close to having to add another certified person because of the number of pumping stations already operated by the town.

Commissioner Bob Brown said he thought the feeling of the board was that they would not add a new pumping station if it were avoidable.

Commissioner Charles W.D. Fulk said, &uot;In the long run, I believe we will be better off if we adopt a policy.&uot;

Spivey suggested adopting a similar policy to the one in Greenville to which all commissioners were agreeable. He added that projected costs for the new school showed gravity lines were less than three times the cost of the station, so would not be allowed under such a policy.

&uot;With the growth that may develop now, it is good to go ahead and have a policy in place, that way whatever comes, we will be ready for it,&uot; Commissioner Hoyt Cooper said.

With that, Cooper made a motion with Fulk offering a second to adopt a policy allowing pumping stations to be added to the Windsor sewer system only if gravity lines would cost three times more than the station. The motion passed without objection.