North Fayette to start training plan
DUNBAR TWP. – The North Fayette County Municipal Authority plans to establish an apprenticeship program for its filtration plant managers under new certification requirements by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). According to Robert Softcheck, authority manager, the regulations will go into effect July 1 and require that all process control decisions must be made by a certified operator who is on site, available or by using written standard operating procedures.
The certified operators must also have three years of educational credits and four years of actual hands-on experience before their license will be renewed.
While the requirements are mandatory, Softcheck said having the authority’s six plant managers obtain the certification will be difficult since it interferes with working hours.
“They (certified operators) will be at a premium,” said Softcheck.
At this time, five of the six plant managers possess a Class “A” license, which enables them to operate any size filtration plant. The one plant manager who does not have a Class “A” license will take an examination in November to obtain one.
Softcheck said one downfall to the certification is that the authority could lose the operators to other municipal authorities that pay higher wages, as well as retirement benefits.
“It’s hard to find licensed people,” said Softcheck, noting the authority is OK right now.
Since the apprentice would be in training, Softcheck said it would not be considered a full-time position so that when one of the operators is expected to retire in five years, the apprentice would be prepared.
Larry Williams, authority member, stressed his concerns about commitment from any certified operators that the authority may hire in the future in the form of a contract.
Michael Macko, solicitor, said it would benefit the authority to have such a contract, particularly if they are going to invest a lot of time in training.
In other business, the authority discussed a proposed rate increase for its 14,148 customers. Although the authority is looking at overall rate increase of 21 percent, the hike will be phased in over two years.
Softcheck said that water sales are down because the amount of water usage is down.
Another factor includes the authority’s $400,000 loss in the amount of water it previously sold to the Pennsylvania-American Water Company.
Currently, Softcheck said the average household bill averages about $57 per quarter.