A $500,000 grant was awarded to Hampton Township to aid in improving its sewer system, specifically work on the Glannon Watershed Improvement Project, an effort made partly possible by state Rep. Hal English.
The grant, awarded from the Gaming Economic Development Fund, was announced by English on Jan. 2, according to Christopher Lochner, municipal manager for Hampton Township. It will help offset costs associated with an Act 537 plan and rate study regarding Glannons pump station.
Funds will also be applied to the $1.2 million cost of sewer lining to reduce infiltration and inflow at Glannons pump station. Along with working with Hampton staff, English added that state Sen. Randy Vulakovich was also instrumental in obtaining the grant, which was provided through the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County, according to the state representative's website.
Any actual work is still a far way off, as Hampton Township recently posted public notice regarding its Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan Special Study, which identifies proposed upgrades to the Allison Park Water Pollution Control Plant and at the Glannons pump station, a first of many steps in this process, said Lochner.
This step is a requirement of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The public notice was presented and compiled by the township's sanitary engineers, KLH Engineers. In this case, the Act 537 is a “special study to develop and evaluate options to strategically upgrade the existing” plant and to “allow for better efficiencies in the operations and compliance of the plant with current as well as future demands and regulatory requirements.”
Lochner summed it up as a “roadmap” on the sanitary sewer system's current and future operations.
The estimated costs for each is $43.6 million for the water pollution control plant and $1.5 million for the pump station, according to the Act 537 plan. This entire process will be done in phases over three years, as the plant still has to remain operational for its customers.
Lochner said actual work may begin by the end of 2019 or beginning of 2020.
While the posting of the Act 537 plan notes that an estimated increase could be approximately $27 per customer per month, Lochner stressed that is certainly not decided upon.
He said much planning has to be done and officials will be looking for financing alternatives as the planning process continues.
A 35-year bond issue will majorly help with the funding, as noted by former council member and president Victor Son.
“There will have to be some rate adjustments,” said Lochner, but stated anything now are estimates and any rate changes have not yet been discussed.
Lochner noted they are also required to hold at least three public hearings in 2018 on this topic alone. So opportunities for comment will also be made there. He said the first of these meetings will probably be in early spring.
For more specifics on the plant and the special study, a copy can be reviewed at the township offices on McCully Road in Allison Park. The 30-day public comment period will end Jan. 19.
Also, Lochner said there will be ongoing opportunities for residents to find out the latest news on the renovation.
“It's a process. If they're interested they should continue to monitor announcements on the website and Facebook,” said Lochner.
Natalie Beneviat is a Tribune-Review contributor.
