After the Mattapoisett Neck Road Sewer Project was finally wrapped up last year and the road repaved, residents were not pleased with a Town Meeting petition requesting a new connection.

Many questioned the article and ultimately denied it with an overwhelming majority.

The request came for a lot on Antassawamock Road owned by Richard and Patricia Harlfinger that is designated as unbuildable.

Property owners who wanted to opt into the sewer project were voted in at Town Meeting in 2011.

After digging up one side of the road to put in the new sewer lines, the town repaved Mattapoisett Neck Road as the final phase of the project last spring. To add another sewer connection could mean digging up some of the new pavement.

Several residents questioned why the property owner would wait until now to request a tie-in.

“The sewer project was supposed to be specifically for those property owners who wanted it. Now whoever this is is taking a second crack at it,” said resident Bill Cantor.

Earlier in the meeting, voters approved an article to borrow $200,000 to purchase more sewer capacity from the Fairhaven Wastewater Facility.

“Isn’t this using up some of this new capacity that we’ve just voted to buy?” said Cantor.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne said Cantor was correct. Right now, however, there is not enough capacity to add a new tie-in, even if voters approved it. A new tie-in approved last year has not been added for this reason.

“This is still at the discretion of the Department of Environmental Protection and the Water/Sewer Commission,” explained Gagne.

When the sewer project was proposed several years ago, Water and Sewer Superintendent Nick Nicholson said property owners with non-buildable lots were encouraged to have their land re-evaluated.

“They did have the ability to go and find out why it was not considered,” said Nicholson.

“We encouraged everyone to do that. In that particular case [the property owners] didn’t chose to do that until now.”

Town Assessor Kathy Costello said houses assessed as buildable lots and added into the sewer system were taxed accordingly.

“By coming in late, you’re probably saving yourself tax dollars,” she said.

Residents were also concerned that new tie-ins did not pay the betterments that helped fund the project.

Neither the property owner nor any of the petitioners spoke up at the meeting.

“If the petitioner isn’t even willing to come, why should we vote for him?” said one resident.

In the end, 128 residents voted against the petition. Two voted in favor of it.