The Board of Selectmen will revisit the Agawam Beach and Mayflower Ridge sewer project at an upcoming workshop meeting, discussing how to pay for the postponed project's design costs and exploring whether there are ways to lower the price of construction and move forward with sewering those neighborhoods.

The project was postponed last summer amidst public outcry over construction costs, which would have put an estimated $35,000 "betterment fee" on the backs of residents whose homes are located within the neighborhoods.

The $35,000 fee, an estimate because the actual cost is not known until a project is complete, was more than double the cost of the most recent completed sewer project -- Parkwood Beach -- for which a $15,000 betterment has been set.

"I don't think it's fair of us to put a betterment that's more than double what the first contract was on homeowners," Selectman Cara Winslow said during a discussion about the projects at Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting.

Another sewer project, which covers the Cromesett and Oakdale neighborhoods, is nearing completion. A betterment fee has not been set, but estimates have put that cost in the low $20,000 range.

Betterments are separate from the usage fees paid by residents whose homes are connected to town sewer. The betterments must be paid within 20 years.

The Parkwood project and the Cromesett/Oakdale project were both granted state "stimulus" funding for construction, which lowered the betterment fees for those residents. No such funding exists to lessen the burden on Agawam and Mayflower Ridge residents.

By the time Agawam and Mayflower Ridge project was postponed, approximately $500,000 had been spent on design fees and other costs associated with putting the project out to bid. The Board of Selectmen has since been charged with determining who should pay the bill, which would traditionally be rolled into the residents' betterment fee at the completion of the project.

The Selectmen never decided how long the project would be postponed decided on Tuesday to discuss potential alternatives for getting the project done with a reduced cost.

Several Selectmen pointed out that the project was designed back in 2002 when the town completed its "Comprehensive Wastewater Treatment Plan" and noted that new technology may be available that would lower the project's cost.

"Yes, it's very expensive to do this area the way the design exists ... if we're going to base our assessments from 2002," said Selectman Ellen Begley. "My hope is that we can reduce the cost."

Selectmen also noted that perhaps another neighborhood could be added to the project to spread the cost across more homes, though that would also increase construction costs.

A date was not immediately set for the workshop meeting. Other sewer-related topics, such as the process for setting betterment fees and Board of Selectmen policies on granting sewer abatements, will also be discussed.