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New sewer CCTV work uncovers nearly $400,000 in possible repairs; borough weighing SOAR fund and bond options
Summary
Preliminary CCTV inspections of older sewer sections revealed extensive deferred maintenance, producing a near-$400,000 repair estimate; borough staff flagged a major excavation repair on Mildred and discussed using SOAR reserves or bond funding to address the work.
Finance staff told council that CCTV inspections completed this year identified significantly more repair work in some older parts of town than anticipated. “The new CCTV work from this year led to them estimating a need for almost $400,000 in repairs because it had been so long since that area of the town had been reviewed,” finance staff said. The preliminary estimate includes excavation repairs (staff cited about $190,000 recommended) and a single major excavated repair on Mildred. Manhole-liner work associated with this year’s project was estimated at about $70,000 and has been pushed to next year. Why it matters: the SOAR (sewer) fund and the bond fund both carry resources that could be used for necessary repairs; however, the estimates are preliminary and the work affects older infrastructure where deferred maintenance raises both cost and operational risk. Details: staff described these CCTV findings as an outcome of first-time or infrequent inspections in areas that had not been CCTV’d in 10–15 years; that backlog produced higher repair needs than anticipated. Staff recommended chunking repairs into prioritized groups if the borough cannot fund all work in one year. They also noted limited additional funding in the sewer reserve and that some work could be a candidate for bond funding. Staff noted that some PENNVest loans are ending in coming years (one ends this year, another in 2028), which will free roughly $80,000 in annual spending capacity that could be reinvested in infrastructure. No binding commitments were made; staff described the CCTV numbers as preliminary and said closer review could reduce the estimates. Quotes: “The new CCTV work from this year led to them estimating a need for almost $400,000 in repairs because it had been so long since that area of the town had been reviewed,” finance staff said. On a single line-item, staff said excavation repairs were about “$190,000 recommended.” Ending: staff will obtain a closer review of the CCTV data, produce prioritized repair recommendations and present financing options (SOAR reserve, bond fund, or other sources) for council consideration.
