Centerville seeking funds to extend sewerage system
CENTERVILLE – Council members said they need money to fund a sewerage extension project in order to save two businesses, including the borough’s second-largest employer – but a representative from U.S. Rep. John Murtha’s office says competition for state and federal funds is stiff. Centerville Council members took full advantage of a meeting with Scott Harshman, field representative for Murtha’s office, this week as they brought up the need for sewerage extension along Route 40 to save Hugo’s Restaurant, Sisters’ Scissors and the borough’s municipal building.
According to Councilwoman Susie Zebley, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has warned that if Hugo’s Restaurant does not have a proper sewerage system by May they will force the business to close.
“We need to run a small extension. If we don’t do it all three buildings are going to be useless,” Zebley said.
Harshman said that there is a “great need out there for sewerage and water.” He told council to have their engineer put a formal request together, emphasizing the need for the extension and its potential to create jobs.
“You need to show the impact on economical development,” Harshman said.
President Edward Sukal explained that the sewerage extension is not going to create jobs, but rather to save them.
According to Sukal Hugo’s Restaurant is the second largest employer in the borough and employs approximately 40 people.
“I know they may be just restaurant jobs (to you), but it’s all we have,” Zebley added.
Zebley told Harshman the borough already has the survey and drawings for the project and the project is ready to be put out for bid.
She explained that the borough had originally expected to piggyback onto a sewerage project planned to service a proposed housing project that fell through in October.
Building Services of America (BSA) of Dublin, Bucks County planned to build more than 100 single family homes, 25 town houses and retail stores and offices on the 75-acre site locate across from the municipal building along Route 40. BSA, however, failed to close on the sale, according to Zebley.
The Centerville Sanitary Authority was to provide sewerage to the new development.
Zebley said funding for the project was in place but hinged on the close of the sale.
Harshman told council that competition for such funding is stiff right now with the state and federal budgets both in a deficit.
He said southwestern Pennsylvania’s, 10-county area, has close to a $9 billion sewerage problem with already existing systems.
He said last year there was $5 million to address such projects, but he said Murtha represents a nine-county area, including Fayette County, who has $136 million in needed projects.
He said Murtha would be working on a priority list and stressed that the borough should emphasize their health and safety issues dealing with their needed project.
Sukal added that Centerville is a “high-growth” area, with the state prison opening in Luzerne Township and the Mon Fayette Expressway, a 24-mile expressway corridor that will connect Centerville to communities south of Pittsburgh.
But Harshman said that many businesses only want to locate and devolop in areas with sewerage and water systems already in place.