Delmont to add $109k sewage grinder for pump station
To ensure nothing else gets into the Cramer pump station and gums up the works, Delmont officials plan to spend $109,000 to install a piece of equipment that grinds sewage and anything else that's flushed into the pipes.
Borough council last week unanimously approved the installation of a grinder with blades that will macerate and grind up waste or other items that aren't normally found in sewage.
The purchase comes on the heels of a discussion last month regarding wipes billed as “flushable,” which had been regularly clogging pipes at the Cramer pump station.
Wipe manufacturers and industry groups contend that consumers do not pay close enough attention to what is labeled “flushable” and what is not, but Solicitor Dan Hewitt noted that a sizable group of water authorities are considering a class-action suit against several manufacturers of “flushable” wipes in an attempt to recover money spent fixing problems the wipes are alleged to cause.
Councilman Randy Cupps, who is on the borough's sewage committee, said the grinder will “ensure any material is ground up before entering and damaging the pump-station equipment.
Park Drive paving
Council gave borough engineer Gary Baird approval to add a section of Park Drive to the borough's $250,000 paving program, which will begin later this month.
“It seems to get a lot of potholes, and it's kind of an ongoing concern,” Baird said. “It's enough that I'd like to try and include it if we can.”
The borough will pay the roughly $4,300 cost using funds recently paid by Sunoco Pipeline LP for an easement that includes a portion of Park Drive.
Councilman Carl Boyd said the work is necessary.
“(Public-works employee) Bill (Heeps) said he's unable to continue patching the potholes,” Boyd said.
Bio-swale work
Baird said work will begin soon on the first phase of a $110,000 project funded through a state Department of Community and Economic Development “Growing Greener” grant to create a bio-infiltration swale at Shields Farm.
The swale, which is a collection area for storm water, will help remove pollutants as the water filters through grass and soil.
Baird said he had received the required approvals from the Westmoreland Conservation District to begin the work. He said he hopes to have the majority of it completed in time for the Apple 'N Arts Festival in September.
New ball field
The Delmont Area Athletic Association, or DAAA, will file a site-plan development application to create a fourth baseball field at Shields Farm.
Association Vice President Sean Susick said the field primarily would be used by 11- and 12-year-olds. Nearby energy business Dominion has offered to provide the resources and volunteer help to construct the field. The field's proposed location is near Dominion's Oakfield compression station.
The new ball field is part of a slate of projects DAAA officials are planning. They also include a newly completed concession stand at Shields Farm, paving the area between the Shields restrooms and picnic tables, addressing drainage issues along the first-base line at a Newhouse Park field and adding warning tracks to all fields.
Patrick Varine is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-871-2365 or pvarine@tribweb.com.
