File photo

County commissioners on Wednesday approved the financing for five municipal road, stormwater and sewer projects that will require applicants to pay 2.72% interest on their loans from the county infrastructure bank.

From the six proposals the county received from banks, the commissioners agreed to accept a 10-year, $13.1 million loan from Farmers National Bank at a 4.22% fixed interest rate.

The five applicants will have to pay 2.72% interest on their loans from the county, officials said.

The number of applicants is down from the original seven because Adams Township decided against proceeding with infrastructure bank loans for two projects that would have cost about $6 million combined. The seven original projects combined would have cost about $19.5 million.

The five final project applicants are Evans City, Harmony, Jackson Township, Oakland Township and the Western Butler County Authority. Each project also received funding from the county’s municipal infrastructure program, which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Evans City received a $550,000 infrastructure bank loan for a $644,045 stormwater improvement project. Harmony received a $500,000 loan for $819,950 stormwater improvement projects.

Jackson Township received a $465,000 loan for a $973,579 road reconstruction and water line extension projects. Oakland Township received a $300,000 loan for a $893,496 road reconstruction project.

The WBCA received an $11.3 million loan to cover the entire cost of expanding its Route 19 South service area including the acquisition of the existing sewage treatment plant in Abbey Woods in Zelienople and converting it to a pump station and a stormwater management facility.

In addition, the commissioners approved agreements to pay two utilities a total of about $1.3 million to relocate service lines for the Gateway 228 project at Freedom Road in Cranberry Township. The county will pay Columbia Gas $1.2 million and pay Consolidated Communications $119,713.

The commissioners also approved a temporary easement and right of way agreement with the Moraine Preservation Fund to allow access to property in Clay Township along Beaver Dam Road that is in danger of flooding from two large beaver dams.

The agreement allows township officials to enter the property to assess the dams and develop a plan to remove them, said Mark Gordon, county chief of economic development.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel said about 200 acres is under water because of the dams, and the water is encroaching on homes and properties.

One dam is 750 feet long and the second is 450 feet long, and they have caused damage to the road, Gordon said. There is a county-owned bridge in the road.

The dams can’t be removed all at once because it would result in significant flooding, Gordon said. The township will have to hire a contractor to remove the dams, he added.

This story was updated at 1:57 p.m., May 9, 2023, to reflect that Adams Township chose not to proceed with the infrastructure bank loans. A previous version of this story said the township chose not to proceed with their projects.