Nov 16, 2005 By Christine Haines 2 min read

BROWNSVILLE – Bids were opened Tuesday for construction of what is being called the Washington Street sewer extension. The project will carry sewage from the Hiller area down over a steep embankment to Second Street. RJF Development Corp. of Greensburg was the apparent low bidder for the project at $137,770, more than $70,000 less than the highest bidder and $29,000 less than the next nearest bidder. Six bids were received for the work.

The bid documents are being reviewed by the solicitor and engineer to make sure the firm is the lowest responsible bidder and has met all of the bid specifications.

Three right-of-ways are still needed for the Washington Street extension project. Four have already been obtained. The authority board authorized solicitor Ernest DeHaas to approach the three remaining property owners and to file a declaration of taking against them if an agreement cannot be reached.

DeHaas told the authority members that he recently filed declarations of taking against two property owners whose land is needed for Phase II sewer line and pump station installation expected to begin next year. DeHaas said the property owners have 30 days in which to file an appeal of the condemnation order. If no appeal is filed, the authority is automatically given the right to access the property for the construction.

DeHaas reported that a March 1, 2006, closing date has been set with the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment board (PENNVEST) for funding for Phase II.

Meanwhile, construction on Phase I, the building of a new treatment plant, force main and pump station A on Bank Street is well under way. Engineer Rusty Mechling said crews are in the process of building the treatment tanks for the new plant. The base has already been poured for the concrete tanks and the walls are about one third completed, Mechling said.

Once completed, the new facility will be able to process up to 4 million gallons of sewage a day. The current plant can handle one million gallons. Although average flow into the plant is about one third of the current capacity, the authority was ordered to construct the new plant by the state Department of Environmental Resources because of overflow problems during heavy rain and because the current plant is located in a flood plain.