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West Brownsville council discusses sewer project

By Jenny Susa 3 min read

WEST BROWNSVILLE – West Brownsville Borough Council on Tuesday discussed the progress of the Center West Joint Sewer Authority’s project of bringing a new sewer system to the borough, and authority members said they hope to send the project out to bid by the end of the month. Council President Dan Kendall, also chairman for the authority, told the council that “barring anything unforeseen” from the state Department or Environmental Protection and Rural Utility Service, the authority’s funding agency, the authority should advertise for bids later this month or in early February.

Councilman Scott Campbell, also an authority member, told council that the authority initiated contact with Brownsville to discuss the possibility of allowing sewage to be treated by the borough when the project is up and running as a way of cutting costs. The authority made the same offer to California, and is awaiting the results of a study that engineers conducted to determine the feasibility of sending sewage from Centerville and West Brownsville to California.

Campbell and Kendall said that going to Brownsville would be “another viable alternative.”

Campbell explained that Brownsville already is able to take the sewage if the authority finds out that it cannot afford to build its own treatment plant, but California is contingent upon building its own plant.

Campbell also reported to the council on borough finances, and he said he wanted to “congratulate everyone on holding down expenses last year.”

“We’ve saved money so far this year on snow removal,” said Campbell. “It won’t always be that way, so we have to keep watching the budget, but we’re still solid.”

The authority is still seeking additional sources of funding for the upcoming project.

In other matters, Councilwoman Garnet Wooten said she would like council to participate in taking a general assessment of the community that would help the borough be better prepared in case of emergencies.

Councilman Todd King, also the fire chief at the West Brownsville Volunteer Fire Department, agreed that the assessment would be helpful because the fire department might be unsure of how many people are living in a house in the event of a fire.

Wooten said she would like to have volunteers begin taking surveys door-to-door in March so that the community can be well prepared in case of emergency.

In another matter, the council authorized its solicitor to send a letter to Norfolk Southern Railroad, informing it that the grease left on the roads near the tracks has not been cleaned to the borough’s satisfaction, although the railroad company assured the borough it would be handled. The solicitor also will contact the state Public Utility Commission to inform them that the railroad is not meeting the requirements of their agreement with the borough.

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