Avonmore water rates to dip after plant sale

GREENSBURG: Avonmore water customers will pay 10 percent less when the borough's water and sewer systems are sold.

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County voted 4-1 at its Greensburg office Thursday to buy the properties for $200,000.

Westmoreland water authority Executive Director Chris Kerr said the final contract signing must happen before April 1.

Avonmore's municipal authority director was out of town Thursday and a woman who answered the authority's phone could not answer questions. Avonmore attorney James L. Nardelli Sr. did not return calls.

Kerr said the Westmoreland water authority agrees to replace certain water mains up to $100,000 and to cut the water rates for meteredcustomers by 10 percent for 60 months from the contract closing date.

The Avonmore sewerage rates will remain at the rate adopted July 11, 2000, for two years after the closing unless the state Department of Environmental Protection orders that stormwater flow be separated from the sewer lines.

If that happens, added costs will be passed on to customers.

'We believe we can do the work less expensively than Avonmore would have been able to do so because of our size and experience,' Kerr said.

All U.S. sewerage systems eventually will be required to remove stormwater, and the county municipal authority will take over the $172,000 emergency stream bank protection work being managed by the Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh District.

Members Leonard 'Skeets' Paletta, Donald Ruscetti, Robert G. Miner Jr. and A. Keith Staso voted to send the agreement to a contract closing.

County authority board member Art Boyle Jr. voted against the purchase because he does not want the authority to begin offering sewerage services.

Avonmore officials have said they need help with its almost 100-year-old water distribution and sewerage system and sewer plant, which serve about 500 customers.

Meanwhile, the Westmoreland water authority has been trying for two years to buy or manage municipal sewer systems as a way to make money.

Two years ago, the authority offered $57 million to buy the Hempfield sewerage system. That offer was rejected, as were others.

Avonmore became an obvious acquisition target because the borough buys water from the Westmoreland water authority to distribute to its customers.

Chuck Biedka can be reached at cbiedka@tribweb.com