Council approves purchase of raw water pumps
MASONTOWN – During an unusually brief meeting Tuesday, the Masontown Borough Council approved the purchase of two raw water pumps from Total Equipment Co. for the borough’s water treatment plant. The pumps, costing about $10,000, will be installed at the borough-run facility that supplies all the water to Masontown residents.
In August, borough engineer Russ Mechling told the council that the plant had been found in violation on a number of fronts by the state Department of Environmental Protection over the past years and that while the borough is now scrambling to correct some of the problems, some are larger and cannot be completed before the next state inspection.
The latest citation by DEP threatens a $35,000 fine if the problems – which Mechling claims have accumulated over the last 10 years – are not corrected.
And Mechling said DEP officials have hinted that if the plant is not brought up to snuff, it should be closed.
Mechling said over the past 80 years that the borough has owned the plant, the facility has received less and less attention as time has gone on, noting that a million gallon storage tank purchased in the 1960s has yet be permitted for usage.
Mechling said problems include the lack of a chlorine recorder, a raw water meter, turbidity meters, and an issue with surface water boiling in one of the filters and the lack of a permit for backwash and sludge as well as the storage tank.
The new pumps are just part of the vigorous effort by the council to resuscitate the facility.
The council also conducted the following business:
– Approved controversial meeting minutes from a meeting in July and August after allegations into tampering were investigated.
– Operated without three members, including Council President Carole Daniels as well as councilmen Frank McLaughlin and T.J. Salonick, all of who were absent at the previous meeting.
– Announced that the council budget committee will conduct workshop sessions every Monday at 6:30 p.m. for the rest of the year to iron out the 2006 budget for the borough.
– Accepted a bid proposal from Tri-State Tree Service to trim the 36 trees along Main Street for $75 a piece.
– Held an executive session for personnel matters.