Authority must find ways to cut costs from proposed sewage plans
WEST BROWNSVILLE – The Center West Joint Sewage Authority may have to find ways of cutting costs on the new sewage system they plan to build. Rural Utility Service (RUS), the authority’s funding agency, has notified them that the estimated costs of the project are escalating to about 50 percent more than the amount originally budgeted.
Engineer Bob Bible attributed the additional cost to the rising cost of fuel.
“The reason behind the additional cost all deals with energy,” said Bible. “Everything is going around the fuel and energy crisis right now.”
Bible explained that when the project cost was originally estimated, they had allowed for a certain amount of inflation, but “not for as much as the prices we are at now.”
Chairman Dan Kendall said that one aspect that should help lower the cost of the project is the time at which they are bidding it out.
“It will help us if when we are bidding it, a lot of guys are looking for work,” said Kendall. “Competition breeds lower prices sometimes.”
Kendall said he hoped the additional cost of the project would not be as high as RUS expected.
“If we scale back the project, we lose customers,” said Kendall. “We’ll have to discuss some different options to cut costs but first we’re going to bid the project and see how it turns out.”
In other matters, solicitor Jack Purcell said that Joseph Ricco had agreed to sell a portion of his property for a sewage treatment plant for $30,000. The authority voted to buy the property at that price.
Purcell also told the authority that he had submitted an agreement for California Borough to review that would allow the authority to serve some areas of California with the new sewage system.
“This agreement would be good for both boroughs,” said Purcell. “They would never be able to sewer those areas and we can. And obviously the extra customers would help us.”
The areas that the authority could provide sewage to include parts of Old Route 40 and Wilson Road.
In other business, the authority hired MaryAnn Kubacki as a secretary to help with office work and customer service upon the recommendation of board secretary Terry Seddon. They also authorized her to purchase a computer, software, and office supplies at a cost not to exceed $2,000, which is reimbursable through the authority’s loan.