Infrastructure Bank hears local proposals
The Butler County Infrastructure Bank is considering six projects in its first round of funding.
The proposals, which were heard Friday, include a multimillion-dollar tunnel in Cranberry Township, fixing Butler's Main Street lighting and Sullivan Run flooding issues, and several sewer renovation projects.
The projects will be considered and recommendations will be made to the county commissioners. An announcement of award winners will be made in July, said Mark Gordon, the county's chief of economic development and planning.
The Infrastructure Bank was created in 2017, and will use $500,000 from natural gas drilling impact fee revenue received by the county to help municipalities apply for subsidized, low-interest loans. Gordon said the money will be used to provide collateral and cover the municipality's payments to the lender supplying the main funds for a project.
He said that half a million dollars can be used to secure $30 million in debt service taken on by the county at a “very good interest rate,” which is then passed on to the municipalities for infrastructure projects.
“We wanted to level the playing field for all municipalities in the area,” Gordon said. “We wanted to fund projects all across the landscape of our county.”
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Of the six projects being considered Butler proposed two, one in conjunction with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The city is seeking $470,000 for the Sullivan Run flood control project. That loan application is for a 10-year term with a 1.5 percent interest rate.
Joseph Gray, city engineer, said the issue is one that has been present for at least 20 years. He said the project will correct flooding and debris issues with Sullivan Run, improving the stream down to Connoquenessing Creek and reducing flooding in the city's West End neighborhood.
The proposal submitted to the Infrastructure Bank states that the project will widen the three points in the stream that create bottlenecks for storm flow — at the Miller Street bridge, West Penn Street bridge, West Brady Street bridge — and two culverts at the low end of the stream east of AK Steel.
The bridges will be replaced with larger concrete culverts and the two metal culverts will be eliminated, allowing for an open channel flow.
Heavy rain and debris, which closed culverts, caused Sullivan Run to flood numerous homes and streets in July 2017.
Gray said that while the DEP is in charge of the more than $4 million project, the city is responsible for paying for surface construction, coordinating utility relocations and obtaining rights-of-way from property owners. Work is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2019, he said.
John Evans, city zoning officer, said this plan also will significantly reduce the flood plain, relieving residents and businesses from having to buy flood insurance and help attract business to that area.
The second project proposed by the city was a $1 million request to help replace street lights along Main Street.
“Lighting in the city has been a problem for a while,” Evans said.
This project would include the removal and replacement of existing lighting and foundations, as well as improvements to electrical conduit, wires and switches. Fifty lights are proposed to be replaced with LED lights as part of the project on Main Street from Wayne to Pearl streets.
“This is the gateway to the city and the county,” Gray said. “This is our image.”
Evans said the lighting will not only brighten up the city, but will help with safety and crime.
<h3>Cranberry Township</h3>Cranberry Township also made two proposals, including seeking $4.5 million funding for a portion of the $15 million MSA Thruway project, with the purpose of diverting tractor-trailer traffic off Route 228.Jason Kratsas, township director of engineering, said there is a “failure in the traffic system,” with traffic coming off Interstate 79 and onto Route 228.This project will divert much of that traffic without touching Route 228, he said, by creating a tunnel under the road which will be accessed via a loop ramp. The tunnel also will include dedicated pedestrian and bicycle lanes, which “improve walkability.”Construction is projected to begin in January 2019, Kratsas said.Cranberry Township's second proposal was for $1.2 million to complete sewer improvements.Jason Dailey, director of the township public works, said the funds would be used for sewer line replacement and rehabilitation. He said sewer work for the township has been ongoing over time, budgeted at about $350,000 a year, but this proposal will consolidate all that work and get it done at one time.“This is work we would be doing anyway, this just gives us a chance to get it done sooner,” he said.That project would expect work to be performed between October and December.<h3>Marion Township</h3>Marion Township made its own sewer system project proposal.Michelle Burd, township secretary, described the $488,000 request, saying the funds would be used to cover costs for planning and permitting associated with sewer renovation for Boyers.She said the township in 2013 was court-ordered to take over a privately owned sewer and water system. After taking over the system, the DEP identified several problems, including finding the system was not permitted properly and there was straight discharge into the creek from some residences on septic systems.Burd said the project would tie residents who are currently on septic systems into the sewer system by constructing about three miles of sewer lines. The project's total cost is $4 million.“We are under a consent order with DEP,” she said. “So we have to do it.”But she said the project is currently “stalled,” telling the board that the township cannot move forward in seeking grant funding until the planning and permitting processes were complete. Burd said the township was asking for a five-year loan.<h3>West Sunbury</h3>West Sunbury Borough also made a proposal for water treatment, asking $350,000 to fix a discharge issue with its waste-water system.Kathy Ferdinandsen, secretary of the West Sunbury Municipal Authority, said a discharge issue was identified by the DEP. The agency said a high ammonia content was found in the discharged water which was going into the stream.The money will be used to construct a building next to the existing water treatment plant that will house the equipment needed to remove the ammonia.Gordon said the challenge for the Marion Township and West Sunbury projects is that these are small municipalities that have to take on these state-mandated, expensive projects.“We are just trying to make things affordable,” he said. “These are basic human needs.”
