Residents and business owners in Plum could see a rate increase this year as a result of the construction of a $4.5 million sewage treatment plant in Holiday Park. The new plant -- along with $2.5 million in water line repairs and $1.1 million as Plum's share for improvements to the Plum Creek sewage treatment plant in Penn Hills -- would be paid through an $8.1 million bond issue the Plum Borough Municipal Authority is seeking. Plum Council Monday night will consider guaranteeing the bond issue for the authority. Municipal Authority Manager Cheryl Stezoski said Tuesday that she "anticipates" sewerage rates will increase later this year, but she wasn't able to estimate the amount. Plum has 9,800 water and 10,000 sewer customers, Stezoski said. A portion of the borough is served by the Oakmont Water Authority. Sewerage customers currently pay a minimum of $69 per quarter. Stezoski said water rates rose Jan. 1 from a minimum of $32.20 to $37 a quarter. Stezoski said the new facility will be at the site of the current plant located off Route 286. Construction will take 18 months and could begin before summer. Attorney Bruce Dice, solicitor for both the borough and the municipal authority, said the plant, built in 1976 and upgraded in 1982, "has cost a lot to maintain and is just old." Stezoski said the new plant will use a more efficient technology. Stezoski said the water line replacement projects will take place over two years. He said pipe in some of the areas is about 50 years old, resulting in problems with breaking lines. A business owner on Route 286 near the plant said yesterday he is willing to pay a slightly higher sewerage bill for a more efficient plant. Mark Henderson, owner of The Enclosure, a store with exotic birds and animals, has complained to the Allegheny County Health Department in recent years about odors from the plant. "Like everything else, I believe along with improvements comes an initial cost," Henderson said. "I don't mind a slight increase in my bill, especially if there is improvement for wildlife and the community."

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