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Borough seeks grants and schedules digester roof and grinder pump work at treatment plant
Summary
Council received updates on multiple grant opportunities and an upcoming bid schedule to replace a digester roof, add a grinder pump mixing system and televise storm lines; staff expects bids in early April and aims to install the roof by winter.
Borough staff told council they have applied for and are pursuing multiple grants to fund sewer work and related projects, and described a planned replacement of a digester roof and installation of a continuous grinder-pump mixing system at the wastewater treatment plant.
Staff said the borough’s Local Share Account (LSA) application was submitted and that the borough already was awarded $50,000 from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission toward a boat launch project (a separate parks project). For sewer work, staff outlined two targeted programs: a DCED sewage facilities grant that requires a 50% match and can provide up to $250,000, and a Pennsylvania small water and sewer grant that offers up to $500,000 with no local match. Staff also said they plan to submit an application to USDA (a federal program with a rolling application) as another funding avenue. The borough’s internal goal is to secure about $1.5 million in grant funds for 2025; staff reported roughly $600,000 committed so far.
On facilities work, staff reported USG was the low bidder for cleaning and televising certain storm lines in the Edgewater pump station area and that a pre-bid meeting for the digester roof and grinder-pump mixing system is scheduled; bids are due in late March or April (staff cited an April 3 bid date) and a recommendation is expected at the council meeting in April. Staff said the grinder pump is a large 40-horsepower unit and that some electrical capacity exists in the current control panels, which will reduce additional electrical work. Equipment lead times are expected to be roughly four to six months; staff’s schedule anticipates ordering equipment after award and aiming to have the roof installed by winter so the contractor can also apply an internal membrane/epoxy liner while the roof work is done.
Staff discussed cost-sharing with neighboring municipalities for digester work and encouraged coordination to improve competitiveness for grants that would lower each municipality’s match requirement. Council members asked for continued coordination and for the April meeting to include the bid-award recommendation and funding plan.
No formal awards were made at the meeting; staff said they would return with bid results and award recommendations in April and will consider available grant awards in timing the work.
