Jerry Mahan, a Ceder Cliff resident, said all the homeowners in the development made major personal investments in wells and septic systems. A leak in a pipe would drop property values.

Miller assured the crowd that no process for implementing the proposed line has begun yet, saying if the proposal gets to the point where the 537 plan is changed, that’s when the UAJA can start looking at alternate lines and begin safety assessments.

“This is not necessarily the final solution,” he said. “This is just the first step.”

Councilman Jeff Luck said he wanted to stress that the evening’s discussion isn’t the beginning of a process, but rather gathering the feedback of residents. He agreed safety was an important issue, as was getting the public’s reaction before starting anything.

Centre Region Planning Agency Director Jim May said his agency can get in touch with more residents, gather some more feedback and work with these residents to create some alternate sewer lines to bring back to the board.

“Our intention is to include anyone who wants to be part of the conversation,” Chairman Elliot Abrams said.

Jeremy Hartley can be reached at 231-4616. Follow him on Twitter @JJHartleyNews.