Commissioners commit up to $1.7 million more to A-C Valley Business Park water, sewer system
County commissioners agreed to allocate up to $1.7 million in additional money to the water and sewer system replacement project at the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Business Park after constructions bids came in higher than expected.
The agreement commissioners approved last week with Allegheny Township allocates up to $1.7 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money leftover from other municipal projects to the $1.16 million in ARPA money commissioners already allocated to the business park project in 2022.
Some municipal road, water and sewer infrastructure projects that received ARPA money from the county cost less than expected, said Ann Brown, county budget director. The leftover money will be returned to the county and allocated to the business park project, she said.
However, the leftover money might be less than $1.7 million, Brown said.
In October, the commissioners distributed $1.08 million in ARPA funds to 10 municipal road, water and sewer infrastructure projects. Brown said bids for some of those projects were less than anticipated.
The potential $1.7 million will be added to the $1.16 million in ARPA money the commissioners allocated in 2022 for a new total maximum award not to exceed $2.86 million.
That money, a $1.25 million Appalachian Regional Commission grant and a $931,000 state H2O grant are being used to pay for the project.
Project bids opened in December were about $1.2 million over budget. Commissioners tabled the bids and instructed staff to look for potential cost savings in the bids.
In other business, the commissioners added a $13,100 work order to the service agreement with AECOM for the company to work with Armstrong on the application for federal money to extend broadband service to areas without service.
AECOM was hired by the commissioners to review proposals from internet service providers to apply for federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment funding to expand service to those who don’t have it in the county. Armstrong was selected over Brightspeed and Comcast. Brightspeed will be used as a backup to Armstrong.
The application is due Jan. 21.
