WEIGH SCALES - The joint sewer authority continues work to close on state and federal funding for the expansion of the Shamokin-Coal Township Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Scott Keefer, authority engineer of Great Valley Consultants, said all grants and loans received for the project should close by month's end or early June.
Construction would follow immediately, Keefer said.
Expansion and upgrades of the plant are mandated by the federal government. It's the latest phase of a project to separate storm water and sewer lines throughout Shamokin and Coal Township, thereby reducing pollutants bound for Susquehanna River and ultimately Chesapeake Bay.
General and electrical construction contracts were awarded in March at a combined total of $37 million.
The authority is the recipient of a $17.6 million loan from U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) also awarded it a $7.7 million low-interest loan and a grant of $12.2 million, according to past reports.
PENNVEST assists governmental agencies across the state in funding sewer, storm water and drinking water projects.
The authority received an estimated 40 resumes to fill the new position of general manager, Dave Kopitsky Jr., authority chairman, said after Wednesday's monthly meeting.
The position was created to lead operations at the new plant, a more complex system compared to what operates the existing plant.
Salary and benefits will be negotiated with the candidate chosen by the authority to fill the position, Kopitsky said.
Rescinds letter
The authority rescinded letters mailed to Shamokin and Coal Township in March that described procedure for review and approval of sewer line connections.
The letter had said both municipalities would be responsible to provide engineering and construction plans for any new connections into the authority's existing lines.
The municipalities could also be subject to fees for review of project plans and on-site inspection of any interconnections, the letter said.
The authority will now handle all connection requests on a case-by-case basis.
The letter had drawn the ire of Shamokin councilmen R. Craig Rhoades and Michael Snyder in light of the city's and township's guarantee on a substantial federal loan.
Coal Township is looking to place a new line on Chemung Street and connect to the system. The city has no plans as of yet to tap into the sewer system with a new line.
Hours credited
Board member Michael Carpenter said a disagreement between the authority and its solicitor, James Zurick, is long resolved.
Carpenter and Zurick were at odds in January over the solicitor's billing for 9.2 hours of work, for which he had already been paid.
Zurick is paid $100 an hour per his contract with the authority.
The dispute arose over a project labor agreement that, ultimately, never made its way into bid specifications for the sewer plant project.
Carpenter said Zurick credited the authority for the disputed hours earlier this year and that the matter was settled in February.
The topic was not discussed at either the February or March meetings.
New bills
Some customers have been either confused or oblivious to the authority's new billing format. Bills in the past were sent as postcards. This month marked the first time they were mailed as letters in an envelope.
Customers have called the authority to ask about the mailing, believing it to be a letter or notice and not their monthly bill. Others may not have noticed the change at all.
Customers are reminded to not throw the mailing away.
The new format resulted from upgraded billing software, which was approved for purchase in December.
Return envelopes are not automatically mailed to customers, but can be obtained upon request.