Bullskin/Connellsville township reisdents may complete sewer lines
BULLSKIN TWP. – Members of the Bullskin Township/Connellsville Township Joint Sewerage Authority adopted a resolution Wednesday amending the current rules and regulations regarding sewer tap connections to the authority’s line. According to John Cupp, solicitor, the initial guidelines were changed since certain information pertaining to the connections was unclear.
With the changes, property owners can now hire their own contractors to install lateral sewer lines in connection to the authority’s line using a saddle type fitting approved by the authority’s inspector.
Glenn Wolfe, engineer for Widmer Engineering, described the fitting as a “y” that saddles the main line making the connection easier.
“It’s designed to eliminate when these lateral pipes get shoved too far into the main line,” said Wolfe.
The resolution also placed the responsibility of line repair costs on the property owner if a sewer line connection is attempted without the authority’s inspector present should any damage occur.
The authority initially discussed the modifications in March after a Connellsville resident approached them about a sewer line extension on property he purchased for new construction. Wolfe later found the authority’s $1,200 tap-in fee was excluded from the cost to extend a sewer line.
In an unrelated matter, the authority learned from Cupp that a Bullskin Township property owner was fined during a hearing Wednesday by Magisterial District Judge Robert Breakiron as one of two remaining customers with delinquent tap-ins.
The authority also conducted the following business:
– Learned from Carl Lewis, authority executive director, the authority billed 850 customers in April and received $35,844 in payments, leaving a 13 percent delinquency rate.
Lewis also stated that the authority discovered a property owner at 101 Layton Ave. in Connellsville Township was not tapped-in, but paid $116 to date in sewerage service bills with the amount reimbursed by the authority.
– Discussed the feasibility of holding future meetings at John Dilworth Financial Services where the office is located.
– Approved the annual insurance premium for $3,806 with DeFurio Mongell Associates, which decreased from $4,007 over last year.