Masontown council approves advertising water line projects
MASONTOWN — Borough council approved advertising for bids to install eight new water lines to replace old lines Tuesday.
The borough received a $393,688 state grant for five new lines measuring 6,650 feet combined, but council agreed to use borough funds to add three more lines to the project.
The five lines covered by the grant, which Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin Township, helped secure from the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Small Water and Sewer Grant Program, will be advertised as one project and other three will be advertised individually so council can decide which to pursue.
Engineer Bill Johnson said the three additional lines and the matching funds for the grant make the borough’s cost about $200,000.
The project includes connecting fire hydrants to all the new lines, he said.
Council President Frank McLaughlin suggested advertising the three additional lines individually so council can decide which ones to replace.
Another water line project is also in the works.
The Fayette County Redevelopment Authority is opening bids for the Provins Avenue water line replacement project on May 26, Johnson said.
A $60,000 grant is covering the cost of that project, he said.
In unrelated business, council tabled voting on advertising a proposed Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) ordinance.
Council drafted the ordinance to exempt all new commercial buildings and renovations to commercial buildings from real estate taxes for 10 years.
Solicitor Gary Monaghan said he prepared the ordinance, but council could meet with the other taxing bodies before advertising it. The other taxing bodies would have to adopt correlating versions of the ordinance to exempt their property taxes, he said.
The Fayette County commissioners and Albert Gallatin School District are the other taxing bodies.
In addition, Mayor Toni Petrus said Stefano is meeting with council members for a walking tour of the borough on June 2. The time hasn’t been determined, she said.
In other business, council:
n Agreed to open the borough offices five days a week beginning June 5. The offices are currently closed Tuesdays and Thursdays.
n Announced that the annual German-Masontown hard-to-recycle E-waste collection will is being held at the German Township Municipal Building from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 13.
n Announced that a curbside large item garbage collection will be May 19.
n Announced that there is a vacancy on the civil service board.