A contract to connect grinder pumps to homes, the second and final phase of the $4 million Marion Township sewer system project, was awarded Wednesday, Aug. 14, by county commissioners.

The original 24 homes in the project area are connected to the system, but 75 homes added later have yet to have grinder pumps connected, said Wendy Leslie, community development block grant coordinator.

The $362,592 contract was awarded to McKinney Hauling and Excavating Inc., of West Sunbury, which submitted the lowest of three bids for the project.

Leslie said the work will start as soon as possible with the goal of finishing the work by Thanksgiving.

In addition, the commissioners approved an amendment to the contract with EADS Group, the sewer project engineering firm, to reduce the company’s fee from $150,000 to $75,000.

The amendment closes a gap in funding needed to complete the second phase and was suggested by EADS, Leslie said.

In a separate project, the commissioners agreed to accept the transfer of the $931,000 H2O Water Supply, Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater grant the state awarded to Allegheny Township in 2020 to replace the failing water and sewer system at the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Business Park.

The state Department of Community and Economic Development asked the county to enact the transfer to streamline project administration. The Appalachian Regional Commission awarded the county a $1.25 million grant for the project last year, and the commission requires the county to administer the project because it is a federal Community Development Block Grant recipient, according to a letter from the DCED.

In another project in the northern tier of the county, the commissioners awarded a $1.49 million contract to C.H. & D. Enterprises of New Stanton to replace the Kelly Bridge in Slippery Rock Township. Work is expected to begin in the spring. C.H. & D. submitted the lowest of seven bids for the project, which is being funded by a federal grant and money from the county’s $5 fee on vehicle registrations. The bridge carries Taggart Road over Slippery Rock Creek.

Kevin Gray, bridge director, said PennDOT administered the bidding process and reviewed the bids to build the new bridge, which will be a 93-foot concrete beam structure.

He noted that the bidding was competitive with $141,667 separating the highest and lowest bids. He said there was a 10% difference among the bid amounts and only a 2% or 3% difference between the three lowest bids.

The commissioners also awarded a $161,278 contract to Stefanik’s Next Generation Contracting Company of Aliquippa for the reconstruction of McCandless Road in Slippery Rock Township. The bid was the lowest of nine bids submitted for the project.