Supply chain issues delay $4.2 million Marion Township sewer project
Supervisors in Marion Township were ready to begin a $4.2 million sewer project in late May, but due to supply chain issues, work has yet to begin and likely won’t get underway until early July at the soonest.
“As far as the township and funds we are ready to go,” said Jason McBride, supervisor chairman. “It’s all been on time with the township,“
Because of the delay, the township now anticipates the project to be complete by spring 2024 instead of later this year.
McBride said project was much needed for the rural community. More than 111 homes in the Boyers area of the township will benefit from the project.
The system currently serving these customers is antiquated and has been flagged by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The system was left behind by U.S. Steel decades ago when it ceased operations at the Boyers mine, now the Iron Mountain specialty storage facility.
At the time, the lagoon-type sewer system served 50 homes and was operating properly. But no plan was ever put into place for routine plant maintenance, and it has deteriorated, said Mark Gordon, county chief of economic development and planning, in an August 2020 interview.
The DEP ultimately placed responsibility for the sewer system in the hands of Marion Township.
“This sewer project has been needed in our area for a long time,” McBride said, adding it will be a relief to those in the community that have struggled with failing septic systems installed many years ago.
McBride expects that the modern sewer system should increase the value of area homes and improve the community environment, including the quality of Slippery Rock Creek which runs through Boyer.
Another benefit, according to McBride, is that township residents can connect without a tap-in fee and without paying for their lateral sewer line, which connects the home to the main line or grinder pump.
Easements must be signed by June 30 and are required for fees to be covered. The easements will allow contractors to come onto a resident’s property and install the new system.
Homeowners should expect to see contractors in the area during July and August, and residents will be contacted to discuss the final placement of the grinder pump and sewer line, according to McBride.
Those in the coverage area who do not sign an easement may find that their setup executed through eminent domain. McBride reminded residents that this is required by the DEP.
In some instances the public sewer connection, according to McBride, will require some additional interior plumbing and electrical upgrades. For this purpose, there is an owner-occupied rehabilitation grant available.
For example, if a resident needs upgrades to an electrical panel to handle the new system, this grant might help those who qualify as low-income to cover the cost, McBride said.
“You have to apply for it,” McBride said.
At 6 p.m. June 22, the Butler County Housing Authority will host an information forum at the township office, 2275 West Sunbury Road, Suite A, to explain the details of this grant program. The housing authority can be reached at 724-287-6797.
McBride said Butler County was instrumental in securing additional grants that essentially fully funded the project, adding “as a rural type of community, this sort of funding is virtually unheard of, and the township is so very grateful to all that helped.”
In 2022, the county commissioners awarded $4.2 million in contracts to county and regional contractors for the sewer project.
The commissioners awarded a $2.2 million sewer plant construction contract to Bison Construction of Fairmount City in Clarion County, a $1.2 million contract to install sewer collection lines to Mortimer’s Excavating of Pulaski in Lawrence County, a $475,196 contract to provide 87 grinder pumps, pump housings and lateral service lines that will be installed at some homes to Trombold Equipment Co. (Tepco) of Mars, and a $265,000 contract for electric service installation to Right Electric of Butler.
McBride said funding is enough to cover the project and assist residents, many who are low-income, with costs.
According to Dave Neill, project manager, there are three specific aspects to the project: collection system, treatment plant and electrical.
Neill said the treatment plant and collection system will be completed at the same time, adding the collection system is being installed with largely trenchless technology, directional drilling.
Work on the treatment plant will begin with decommissioning the first treatment lagoon, filling, grading and then construction of the various treatment items. Final review is underway and materials are being ordered.
“It has been a long road and the project could have never been possible without the collaborative effort,” McBride said.
