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O'Hara sewage rates going up | TribLIVE.com
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O'Hara sewage rates going up

Tribune-Review

O'Hara residents will pay more for sanitary sewer service this year, largely because of an Allegheny County Health Department mandate to clean lines.

Council voted last week to increase costs about 25 percent, to $1.19 per 1,000 gallons used. Previous costs were 95 cents for the same amount.

Doug Arndt, township manager, said the hike stemmed directly from a county-issued consent order that outlines a schedule of sewer line cleanup and repair. The order was given to all municipalities in ALCOSAN to stop pollutants from discharging into local streams and the Allegheny River.

Each community must meet deadlines or face hefty fines.

The project, which will be lengthy and expensive, includes mapping, cleaning, recording, repairing and maintaining lines that canvass the township.

Already, the township has awarded contracts totaling more than $1 million to complete early phases of work.

In other business:

  • Council approved a $67,100 contract to purchase three new police vehicles, two sedans and one SUV. Members agreed to sell the current SUV to Guyasuta Volunteer Fire Company for $3,500. Council also will accept bids to sell an old vehicle. It will result in a total of five vehicles for the department.

    Council member Dempsey Bruce suggested that some of the money could be better spent by purchasing new revolvers for the 14-man police force. He said a fleet of five vehicles seems excessive.

    Jim Farringer, police chief, said there are busier shifts in the department schedule when all of the vehicles will be put to use.

  • Council member Marshall Treblow suggested consideration of an engineering assistant for the township rather than the expected hiring of a road crew staffer. He said the township is contracting out a large amount of consulting work and that money may be better spent to hire an engineer, if even on a short-term basis.

  • Council approved several appointments to local boards. Ilene Kurfeerst will represent council on the North Hills COG; Chuck Vogel will sit on the Joint Tax Collection advisory board; Marshall Treblow will serve on the Municipal Risk Management board; Brian Kozera will attend NEWCOM meetings to finalize unresolved business with the now-defunct group; Joe Frauenholz will serve on the history book committee; Dempsey Bruce will work with the Allegheny River Towns Enterprise Zone; and Chuck Vogel will serve on the Northern Basin advisory board.