Crafton Borough officials said May 22 they plan to continue work on the C‑20 sewer separation project while pressing to secure an easement from a privately owned parcel in the City of Pittsburgh, and that they may ask Pittsburgh for a supporting resolution and, if necessary, pursue condemnation under the eminent‑domain process.

The project — estimated at about $410,000 — is partly funded by grant dollars Crafton expects to have reimbursed if the work is completed within the funder’s time window. Engineer Keenan told council the borough “has a $250,000 grant” and that the borough has “about $280,000 in ‘grama’ money from Alkassan” that apply to the work; the borough would need to make up the remainder if the reimbursement cannot be secured.

Why it matters: residents described repeated basement flooding at the low point where the sewer work is planned and urged the borough to keep moving so the problem does not worsen. Council members said they want a short timetable and precise cutoffs before forfeiting the grant reimbursement and discussed steps to secure the easement, including asking Pittsburgh for a resolution and passing a borough ordinance authorizing condemnation.

Details: Engineer Keenan said the work is intended to separate combined inlets at the bottom of Pareen and make them part of a dedicated storm system. The borough’s estimate for the project is about $410,000; Keenan said PA American Water’s work on laterals means much of the paving in the affected lane is expected to be paid for and that decisions remain on whether to include lane ends in the paving.

Residents described the local flooding problem at length. Sandy Morris, a resident on Barr Avenue, told council, “last time, we had probably, I don't maybe a foot of water,” and said backflow valves prevent sewage from entering homes but can trap stormwater inside older foundations.

On legal steps and costs: Solicitor Anna (Solicitor Corbel was noted as not present earlier) and solicitor comments explained that if easement negotiations with the owner fail, Crafton would first ask the City of Pittsburgh for a resolution supporting condemnation and then could proceed under the eminent‑domain statutes. The borough was told there is no fee to request a Pittsburgh resolution, but the borough would be responsible for estimated just compensation and legal costs to pursue a taking. The solicitor described a $150 filing cost for pleadings and estimated a modest additional legal exposure if preliminary objections are filed; an $800 estimate for initial compensation was mentioned as an example in the discussion.

Next steps: Council asked staff to prepare a short presentation for the next meeting with timeline, exact costs, and the share of flow reduction the Pareen separation would remove (a precise compliance calculation was described as “incredibly complicated” and staff promised to provide the numbers). Staff recommended placing an ordinance authorizing condemnation on a near‑term agenda if council wants to preserve the option. Council did not take a formal vote on condemnation May 22; members indicated a general consensus to continue moving forward and to schedule a mini presentation, timeline and a possible ordinance for the next meeting.

What remains unresolved: the property owner has not agreed to an easement; the exact deadline for the grant reimbursement was described as likely through 2026 but staff said they would provide a definitive cutoff. The solicitor and staff cautioned that using eminent domain could extend the schedule and add legal costs that might jeopardize reimbursement if the process runs long.

Ending: Staff will return with a mini presentation at the next meeting including a timeline, firm cost numbers and details about how much the work reduces the borough’s consent‑degree flow obligations; council and residents were invited to attend and comment then.