The $11.7 million in municipal infrastructure awards handed out by the Butler County commissioner were just a fraction of the $68 million for needed work requested by local governments.

Commissioners, forced to chose among so many applicants, sought projects that were “shovel ready.” The winners — including a collaborative effort between municipalities in southwestern Butler County — were 30 municipalities and municipal authorities with individual grants ranging from more than $1 million to nearly $30,000.

“The requests far exceeded what we had available,” said Leslie Osche, county commissioners chairwoman.

Infrastructure projects mostly repair or mend behind-the-scenes structures that improve community residents’ quality of life. Replacing box culverts to reduce flooding, buying pumps or replacing clay pipes for sewage systems, or clearing erosion to improve water quality are all examples of projects that received funding.

Osche said grants were spread to as many municipalities and authorities as possible in all regions of the county.

“We did a good job of taking a look at the applications to make sure they met the requirements of the funding and looking for other opportunities,” Osche said. “We made sure grants were given to all regions to be fair and to cover as many municipalities and authorities as possible.”

Of the $11.7 million in funding, more than $5.7 million went to 22 stormwater infrastructure projects throughout 10 municipalities.

The total cost of these projects came to $9,717,866, but funds are expected to be matched locally by the communities, which include Adams Township, Cranberry Township, Evans City, Forward Township, Harmony, Jackson Township, Lancaster Township, Penn Township, Seven Fields and Zelienople.

The funds come from nearly $37 million the county received through the American Rescue Plan Act. The commissioners voted to dedicate 35% of the money, $11.7 million, to local municipalities for infrastructure projects.

According to Mark Gordon, county chief of economic development and planning, who assisted in the application review process for the $68 million in requests, the criteria used to evaluate the applications included projects ready to be executed and the amount of money the applicants contributed to the projects.

“They needed to be ready to do ‘good-to-go’ projects. Not all were good to go,” Gordon said.

Among the municipalities that did not receive a grant is Worth Township.

According to Supervisor Fred Brezel, the township requested $2 million to help with the installation of broadband.

Brezel said at an August 2022 meeting with Armstrong Utilities, an internet provider, the township learned the cost of the project would be nearly $2 million.

The township, with a budget of $586,571.26, just can’t afford that, Brezel said. It needs a grant or some other help, he continued.

The township wasn’t alone in requesting assistance to make broadband services available to its residents.

Two other communities along the Route 19 corridor had asked the commissioners for American Rescue Plan grants: Muddy Creek and Lancaster townships.

Although they did not receive grants this time, county officials said they are still searching for other options.

Osche said in an earlier interview that the county also hoped to channel its efforts in a unified way to help those communities.

“We want to make sure that we can work with broadband providers to determine what those costs are going to be, and that we’re also going to be coordinating with the other federal funding that becomes available, because it wouldn’t make sense for us to put all our federal dollars into this if there’s going to be other federal money available to make this happen,” Osche said.

“We want to make sure that we’re doing it almost as a single project, as opposed to three independent projects.

Grouped together, the communities have a stronger voice, Osche said.

“If it’s all the same provider, then we need the provider to put that together in a block, because I think if each municipality tried to do that on their own, it’s going to be more difficult for them, for them trying to leverage that,” she said.

She said the commissioners decided to set aside an additional $500,000 from the American Rescue Plan funding that could be used to improve broadband access for several municipalities, and additional federal funding will become available to expand broadband service.

Below is a breakdown of how the $11.7 million in infrastructure grants was dispersed in Butler County.

The township received $1,102,948.35 for four stormwater projects estimated to cost $1,296,448.

The projects include the Northgate Plaza stormwater improvement project, the Swampoodle stormwater mitigation and wetland enhancement project, German Street flooding mitigation project and upgrades to the Tollgate stormwater basin.

“We were really excited to get the money that we needed for those projects,” said township manager Chris Rearick.

Jackson Township will move forward by meeting with homeowner’s associations and property owners in the project areas. The projects to be completed over a three-year period.

Jackson Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

Adams Township received $1 million in funding for stormwater projects on Three Degree Road that will cost $2.1 million.

The road is part of a reconstruction effort broken into three phases. The first phase is completed, and the township has started the bidding process for the second phase.

Adams Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

Harmony Borough received $768,945 for two stormwater projects estimated to cost $858,381.

Both projects involve stormwater management, engineering, construction, repair and maintennance in areas around Spring Street and sites such as Wunderbar and Two Fraus bakery, said borough manager Gregg Such.

The borough plans to draw on grant money it received previously to bridge the gap between the newly awarded ARPA funds and the combined costs of both projects.

Harmony is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

Penn Township received a $704,485 grant for a stormwater project costing $828,685. The goal of the project is to upgrade the intersection of Rockdale and Dodds roads, which is prone to flooding in heavy rains due to its proximity to Thorn Creek.

Doug Roth, township supervisor and road superintendent, said Dodds Road will be moved up and away from the creek, a riparian border will be added and the eroding creek bank will be repaired.

Penn Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

The authority received $664,000 for a $4.1 million project to replace the old clay pipe sanitary sewer lines in Saxonburg.

Paul Cornetti, authority manager, said the authority will decide how it wants to proceed since it didn’t receive enough money to complete the entire project.

The authority must provide a $500,000 match to secure the infrastructure grant, he said.

In cooperation with the Southwest Butler Stormwater Planning Group, Cranberry Township received $121,375 for the Pinehurst Drive Culvert Improvement Project.

“We’re all upstream from somebody,” said township manager Dan Santoro. “The goal is that, collectively, we can do more than we can alone.”

This joint project is focused on improving the culvert’s structural integrity.

“It’s really a rehabilitation of the culvert due to erosion,” Santoro said.

The township will match the award amount to cover the total cost of $242,750. Project completion is expected in September 2024.

Cranberry Township was awarded $664,000 for a stream restoration project in the Glen Eden watershed costing $2.4 million.

“One of the goals is to improve water quality in Cranberry and in general,” said township manager Dan Santoro. “The pollutants in the stream are based on sediment, which creates erosion.”

The project is part of the township’s MS4 permit requirements. At least 6,000 feet of the stream must be restored for the permit. Restoration will include slowing down the flow of water, revegetating the banks and straightening out sharp bends in the stream.

“It’s about a $3 million project, but nobody knows for certain,” Santoro said. “Not a lot of them have been done.”

The township will cover more than 50% of the project cost. Completion is expected by December 2023.

Cranberry Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

The authority received $664,000 for a $3 million sanitary sewer project.

Connoquenessing Township supervisor chairman Terry Steinheiser said the $664,000 may be placed in an account to be used later to pay for the proposed project.

“That will alleviate a lot for us,” Steinheiser said. “I would like to put it into an escrow until we know when we can use it.”

The township received $664,000 for a stormwater project along Evans City Road costing $603,000, and sanitary sewer line and a water line extension projects costing $8.6 million.

Failing stormwater pipes on Evans Road will be replaced with a box culvert. The road runs over a stream, and township manager Tom Knights said that area has been a problem for years, but the municipality already has a plan to address it.

“It's been an ongoing issue. It's subject to flooding where these existing stormwater pipes are now,” Knights said. “We actually did the design work in 2018. That project has already been bid out and awarded.”

The township was awarded $664,000 for a project at the AC Valley Industrial Park costing an estimated $4,909,599.

The funds are going toward updating the sewage and water infrastructure. The township received some money through a separate grant, but continues to seek enough funding for the project.

The borough received $528,320 for three stormwater projects estimated to cost $621,445 in total.

All these projects will aim to assess and manage stormwater issues.

Evans City is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

The authority will use its $500,000 grant to help fund a nearly $1.3 million project to extend public water service to 82 new customers along Route 228 West, also known as Sarver Road.

Kristy Donaldson, authority manager, said those residents will pay a mandatory $4,400 tap-in fee once the lines are complete.

She said many residents in that area struggle with poor water quality.

Donaldson has applied for three other grants to get the project funded.

If the authority must take out a loan for the project, the 82 new customers would have a debt service fee added to their water bills. If grants cover the costs, there will be no fee.

“We are hoping to get more funding for this project to make if affordable for the residents,” Donaldson said.

Zelienople Borough received $465,334 in funds for stormwater and creek flooding projects estimated to cost $875,800.

The funds will help finance five projects aimed at mitigation and better retention of water during flooding, said borough manager Don Pepe. One project, known as “creation of Joint Southwestern Butler County Stormwater Authority,” will position Zelienople as the host for a study that aims to benefit Harmony, Jackson and Lancaster, as well.

The borough plans to make up the difference between the grant money awarded and project costs through a combination of borough funds, other grants from the Butler County Infrastructure Bank Program and — in the case of the joint project Zelie hosts — the combined funds of participating communities.

Center Township is receiving $401,250 from the Municipal Infrastructure Program for a stormwater project costing $535,000. The project involves creating a channel, installing inlets and outlets, reconstruction of an embankment and shoulder excavation along Brown Road to redirect stormwater runoff.

Center Township supervisor Phill Wulff said that road has had issues for as long as he can remember, so the township wants to start work on fixing it as soon as possible.

“There is another way where they can steep down the soil and it's layered back and reinforced; the engineer is looking at ways to do that,” Wulff said. “They're in the process of engineering and putting it out for bid at this point. It'll definitely be this year.”

Franklin Township was awarded $385,954 for the Old Route 422 stormwater rehabilitation project costing $463,354. The project involves upgrading culverts and road-crossing drains.

The Western Butler County Authority received $368,000 for a $460,000 stormwater management project.

Middlesex Township was awarded $325,602 for a culvert replacement along Central Drive costing $400,061. The township will match 18.61% of the cost of the project, which is expected to be completed by July this year.

Valencia Borough received $227,351 in funding to improve stormwater drainage along Butler and Hayes streets. The total project cost is $299,159.

The borough plans to draw on roughly $53,000 of remaining COVID-19 municipal funds received from the state in 2020 to help meet project costs, said Brian Himmelstein, borough council president.

Himmelstein added that the borough’s general fund and liquid fuel costs will also help to meet engineering costs related to the project.

Jefferson Township received $216,688 to replace three culverts; one on O’Hara Road and two on Janice Lane. The project will cost and estimated $270,860.

Leo Rosenbauer, township manager, said the culverts had reached the end of their useful lives at about 50 years old.

The township will provide a 20% match, or $54,172, toward the projects, which Rosenbauer said is in the township budget.

He hopes the projects will be completed this summer, thanks to the county grant program.

“It’s a great, great asset the county has taken upon themselves, to create this program,” Rosenbauer said of the infrastructure grants. “Small municipalities like us can’t afford things like this.”

Winfield Township received $193,972 to complete a stormwater project along a significant stretch of Bear Creek Road. The project is estimated to cost $215,525.

The stretch of roadside is lacking sufficient “fall,” which prevents water from flowing efficiently on a slight downhill trajectory.

Matt Klabnik, Winfield supervisor, said the rural township normally spends about $20,000 per year on stormwater projects.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this project without the grant,” he said.

The township must provide a 10% match to secure the grant, which Klabnik said will occur.

“Our plan is to move quickly on it,” he said. “Our goal is to be done before July 1.”

Lancaster Township received $193,590 in funding for a project to replace a culvert along West Lancaster road. The township had requested $215,100, said borough manager C. Michael Foote.

Although the project involves stormwater management, the borough also asked for help with broadband, which it didn’t yet receive with this particular round of funding.

Lancaster Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

The Bear Creek Watershed Authority in Petrolia received $183,225 for a sanitary sewer project costing $204,165. According to administrator Jody Dunmyre, the authority plans to spend the funds on 14 sewage pumps of its treatment plant.

“We don’t have any and we’re really in a bind,” she said. “I’m hoping (14) is enough to cover it.”

Dunmyre said grants are being pursued to make up the difference.

Dave Neill, township engineer, said in a Jan. 3 meeting that the township plans to use its $176,900 for improvements along Kiester Road.

“We’re looking at drainage and ditch improvements on one side of Kiester Road near Route 8,” Neill said.

The township also applied for a PennDOT grant last year, after initially planning a larger-scale improvement to the road. The original project plan included widening the road as well as stormwater improvement. At that time, the supervisors applied for a $1.5 million multi-modal grant from PennDOT.

When applying for a PennDOT grant, Neill said, there’s no telling if the township will receive the requested amount.

“That doesn’t mean we’ll get it all,” he said.

The supervisors hope to use funds from a PennDOT grant to supplement the planned $203,435 project.

Previous work was performed on Kiester Road near the township’s border with the borough of Slippery Rock, Neill said, using a PennDOT grant.

According to borough manager Tom Smith, Seven Fields will use its $162,450 award for maintenance and improvements to the Northern Detention Pond.

“All of the stormwater collects there — it holds all of that runoff from heavy summer rains or spring rain,” Smith said. “It needs to be maintained.”

The maintenance will include upgrades to the detention pond’s outlet as well as clearing sedimentary pollutants from the pond. The project is expected to be completed by August 2023.

“We want to get this done sooner than later,” Smith said.

The borough will match the award amount to meet the $180,500 project cost. Upgrades are expected to maintain the detention pond for another 20-25 years.

Seven Fields is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

Clearfield Township received $90,019 for various dirt and gravel road projects costing $100,021.

Oakland Township was awarded $89,982 for a stormwater project at Lake Oneida costing $99,980. The project involves replacing 29 culvert pipe crossings that are damaged or undersized with new culverts.

Forward Township received $66,420 for its Nursery Road culvert replacement project.

“The culvert is deteriorated and needs to be replaced,” township manager Tom Hartwig said. “It’s undersized and has contributed to flooding in the past.”

The township had requested $73,800 for the project.

Forward Township is among the municipalities included in the Southwest Butler Stormwater Management Group, which aims to combat regional flooding.

Donegal Township was awarded $61,181 through the county for work on roads and drainage.

A representative at the township office said the funds are being used to pave Welter Road and install new drainage systems.

Before work can begin on the project, which was estimated to cost $67,979, the township must decide how to pay the difference.

Slippery Rock Borough received $55,092 from the county as reimbursement for various stormwater projects costing $80,380.

Borough manager Christian Laskey said the amount came from labor and materials from work done this summer on several different streets. Any remaining balance will go toward future infrastructure projects in preparation for weather events.

“We want to get water off the road, in pipes and out of the way,” he said. “Stormwater in this town will never be finished.”

Eau Claire received $29,056 from the county to build a parking lot on property along Route 38.

Mayor Bruce Toth said the lot is needed for parking for events at Eau Claire Borough Park. Visitors now must maneuver the field in their cars when events take place. The funds will be focused on leveling the ground and paving the lot and access road.

The borough asked for $32,284 in funding and intends to make up the difference in order to move forward with the project.