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Masontown council votes to up water fee

By Erin Hayes for The 4 min read

MASONTOWN — Residents and commercial property owners may soon see an increase in their water bills as officials take steps to address completing upgrades to the borough water treatment plant as mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Earlier in the year, DEP threatened the borough with fines and penalties should it fail to address deficiencies to its sludge removal system at the plant. Council has since sought up to $2.5 million in funding estimated to complete to the DEP-mandated upgrades, and voted unanimously to accept the terms of a $708,000 loan from the municipal authority to move forward with a 10-inch waterline interconnect project, designed to alleviate certain current problems at the borough water plant. The project includes utilizing $107,000 left over in H2O grant money earmarked for specific usage, council President Frank McLaughlin has said.

The 30-year loan from the authority includes a 1 percent interest rate with no penalty for early payment completion.

To help repay the loan to the authority, council by unanimous vote on Tuesday agreed to advertize an amendment to the borough water ordinance raising the cost of water by $4 per month per household or property served.

Currently, the borough water plant serves about 1,700 properties, said Councilman Harry Lee, who motioned for the increase. Residents and property owners now pay $46 a month for water.

“We need to get started with money to repay the loan to the municipal authority for the interconnect project,” Lee said, adding that revenue generated by the proposed increase be put into a capital expenditures fund “to make sure the money is there when we need it.”

Following an executive session, council voted to move forward with the interconnect project, to send a letter to DEP advising the agency of the progress the borough was making, and also to apply for a loan through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the funding necessary to complete the DEP-mandated upgrades.

Officials did not specify how much funding they are seeking, but have said that a “broad estimate” of $1 million to $2.5 million may be needed to complete the upgrades. The actual cost of the upgrades will be determined after the project goes out to bid, McLaughlin has said.

Upgrades mandated by DEP include the construction of a new sludge disposal facility, repairs to and maintenance of a million-gallon storage tank, and replacement of existing supply piping.

McLaughlin has stressed that the water quality in residential households and commercial properties within the borough is “fine” per the most recent water quality report, and that the DEP-mandated upgrades affect only the water on the discharge side of the borough’s water plant, where waste from producing water is released back into the river. The borough’s water plant was constructed in the 1930s or 1940s and has been revamped over the years.

Bids to complete the projects are expected go out in early January once the final design plans and specifications are complete, said borough Engineer Bill Johnson.

Also at the meeting, council voted to close the borough office one day a week so that employees may have time to finish clearing out the old borough building at 2 Court Ave. The borough may also bring in a shredding company to dispose of old records there, McLaughlin said.

“We have a potential buyer and we would like to sell it,” Lee said of the old borough building. “We have to get our stuff out of there.”

No particular days are set aside for cleanup as yet, but residents will be notified in advance through one or many of the communication systems the borough uses, including Nixle, social media, or the newspaper. McLaughlin said.

Officials will continue to close the borough office one day a week until the cleanup is complete, he added.

In other business, council:

— Approved payment of $16,188.75 necessary to upgrade the police department’s radio system to a digital system.

— Approved a contract with Hoffman Kennels to provide animal control services to the borough with language added by the borough solicitor. Upon acceptance by owner Gary Hoffman, the borough will enter into the agreement, officials said.

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