Board considers building office
REDSTONE TWP. – The Redstone Township Sewer Authority is looking into the possibility of building an office adjacent to the sewage treatment plant. The authority’s lease at its Main Street location in Republic expires in January. The board members in the past have looked into the possibility of buying the building where the office is currently located, but chairman Dwayne Thomas said the authority is running out of space there.
“We had an option to move to another location,” Thomas said.
The option to move to a site on Route 40 at Twin Hills Road was discussed at the July meeting. The possibility of constructing a new building was also raised, eliminating the possibility of escalating rent costs over the years.
A motion was made by Rich Stogran to look into the possibility of constructing an office building near the treatment plant.
Thomas said he contacted Barb McMillen at Rural Utility Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture office that provides funding for sewerage projects.
“I talked to her about funding and she said she thought RUS would go 40 years to finance it, the same as a plant,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he had previously considered waiting until the next round of plant expansion is ready for bids, but decided that with the expiring lease, there was nothing to be lost by looking into the project now.
“We’re already paying $500 a month rent, so there’s no reason not to go ahead with it now,” Thomas said.
Both the Republic Rotary and the Redstone Township supervisors sent letters to the sewer authority, asking the members to consider keeping the office in downtown Republic. Both letters also suggested that if the office was to move, it should be to the area of the treatment plant.
Authority member Richard Brosky voted against looking into constructing a new office.
The authority board also discussed an increasing problem with payments made with checks with insufficient funds.
“Last week, we had three come back. That’s the most we’ve had in four years,” Thomas said.
Thomas noted that the authority is charged $3 per check for all checks it deposits that bounce. The authority in turn charges a $20 fee, so individuals that pay with insufficient fund checks face an additional $23 on their sewerage bills.
In addition, they lose the right to pay by check, with all future payments required to be by cash or money order only, Thomas said. Cash payments must be taken directly to the authority’s office.
In other matters, the authority members voted to send Stogran to this year’s Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association convention in Hershey. Thomas will attend a one-day seminar in Pittsburgh on employment law issues.