2006 starts with the Northern Blair County Regional Sewer Authority awaiting word on funding for a proposed pumping station in Pinecroft.
The authority applied for $1.4 million in funding through the state’s PennWorks program in December. The authority is scheduled to meet today and the pumping station could be brought up for discussion, according to the authority’s Leo Matuszewski.
However, the board won’t learn if it is approved for funding until a meeting by PennWorks board members on January 25. Jessica Sheets of the NBCRSA’s consulting engineering firm, ICG told The Daily Herald applications were due six weeks prior to the January 25 meeting. The NBCRSA submitted their application early last month.
In April 2004, Congressman Bill Shuster presented a check in the amount of $400,000 in federal funds to Northern Blair officials for partial funding of the new pumping station. The NBCRSA had worked with state and federal officials for several months before securing the funds.
At the time, board member Ray Amato said the pumping station would “relieve all the Bellemeade sewage to go down to Tyrone.” He said, “This would open up Logan Township and Pinecroft for growth with restaurants, hotels or other businesses.”
He also noted, “Some people think this is only going to help Pinecroft but that’s not true. This would also open up Riggles Gap and Sugar Run Hollow (in Antis Township) for storage if we need it.”
The new pumping station became necessary when the old sewage treatment facility became filled to capacity.
The $400,000 was only a portion of what was needed to complete the project. The cost of the pumping station was estimated at $850,000 when the federal funding came through in 2004.
However, Matuszewski said the cost of the project has increased. He said the $850,000 figure was based on preliminary design information. Since then it has been determined that improvements were needed to the main line. Matuszewski also said the authority obtained 500,000 gallons in additional capacity through Tyrone Borough. The pumping station, the main line improvements and other costs are now estimated at about $1.8 million.
Matuszewski said if the state funding comes through and everything else goes smoothly, the new pumping station could be on line in the later part of this year.
