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October 11, 2012

Mahoning residents to get sewer bills

Nancy Lowry New Castle News

NEW CASTLE — Nearly 400 Mahoning Township households will receive sewer bills next week — even if connections have not been made.

The supervisors said residents in areas served under Phase I of the newly installed public sewer lines have had sufficient time to hire contractors and connect to the system.

Supervisor Vito Yeropoli, who is also secretary/manager at the township sanitation treatment plant, said as of this week, 254 households have paid contractors to connect them to the lines. However, only 162 of those households have been connected. Yeropoli said he will issue a one-month waiver to residents who have paid contractors but are not yet connected.

However, he said, his records indicate 140 households have made no apparent effort to hire a contractor or connect to the lines. He noted 16 contractors are registered with the township to perform the work.

“They’re going to get bills anyway,” Yeropoli said of the unconnected residents. “They have had six months to connect. Some people have been connected since April.”

He said bills will be issued for October. None will be backdated, even if the household has been connected to the line for several months.

In March, the supervisors established monthly sewer rates at $65 for residential users and $85 for businesses. In February, they set the tap-in fee, to connect with sewers, at $2,500. This fee will increase to $2,575 Jan. 1. The increase only affects residents served by Phase I of the project who are residents of Hillsville and a portion of Edinburg. The initial phase of the project included construction of pump stations and the sewage treatment plant along Route 224.

Residents also must pay an additional $75 lateral line inspection fee.

Greg DelPrincipe of RAR Engineering, said construction began this week on Phase II of the sewer project which is expected to add another 200 households to the lines.

Phase II will include North Edinburg, the area along Route 551 to the site of the proposed racetrack/casino, a pump station to serve Edinburg and North Edinburg and side streets in Edinburg and Hillsville.

Rather than tear up the entire area, as happened in Phase I, he said, this phase will go one street at a time and residents will be added to the system as work on their street is completed.

When the project is finished, about 600 homes will be served by the system.

DelPrincipe added that Phase II residents who meet income guidelines also may apply for tap-in fee assistance.

In July, the supervisors received $500,000 through a Community Development Block Grant to be used to help low- to moderate-income residents pay their connection fees.

Following the meeting, Yeropoli said Phase II residents will have the same six-to-eight-month time frame as Phase I residents to connect to the system at $2,500.

The supervisors also:

•Approved Philip Weiner and Co. to audit township financial records.

•Hired Randy Cook as part-time police officer at $12.67 per hour.

•Announced a spring cleanup will be scheduled for April.

(Email: nlowry@ncnewsonline.com)

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