Brian W. Huwar attended the recent township meeting and said that plan is not accurate because it does not include his development plans, and Act 537 plans by law must include future development. Huwar had attended the February Paint Township meeting to discuss the same matter.

Paint’s Act 537 plan allows for an additional 10 equivalent residential sewer connections each year, based on the average growth of the township in the past.

Huwar was accompanied by his son, Brian D. Huwar who is an attorney and by Brad Ehrhart of the Clarion County Economic Development Corporation, but only Brian W. Huwar spoke.

Huwar says he asked the township about obtaining nine sewer tap connections and would like to request 25 more for his development project on land along Doe Run Road overlooking the Clarion River .

But there is no mention of Huwar’s plan in the Act 537 document, and therefore Paint Township ’s plan is illegal, Huwar maintained. “I find it bothersome,” he said.

Township officials note that Huwar does not have a formal plan for developing his land, which would require preliminary approval from the county planning commission.

The township is under a consent order and agreement from DEP to correct sewage problems in the River Hill area and the Act 537 plan was one of the required steps.

The township submitted a $2.1 million plan for the corrections that included room for development, but DEP rejected that idea as enough funding would not likely be available, and officials with PennVEST, a state agency that funds infrastructure projects with low interest loans, confirmed that they would not fund the plan.

The township then adopted a correction plan costing roughly half that, but with only limited room for expansion.

Huwar said the Rural Utilities Service, part of the federal Department of Agriculture, might be willing to meet with PennVEST and DEP officials to discuss funding.

Supervisor Ed Bouch said he voted against the original $2.1 million plan and said “I…don’t want to pay for your sewer line.”

Huwar said he only wanted the township to build the right system and “for all of us taxpayers to pay for the right system.”

Township secretary Jacqui Blose noted that the customers of the sewer system, and not the township taxpayers, would pay for the project through connection and service fees.

Huwar said he would also be subject to such fees if his development were added.

Blose noted the consent order and agreement from DEP requires that the River Hill sewer problems be entirely corrected before the end of 2009, and that revising the Act 537 plan would mean that deadline could not be met.

“It would take six months (to revise the plan). We don’t have the luxury of doing that,” she said.

Huwar said he spoke with DEP officials at the regional office in Meadville and told them Paint’s Act 537 plan was illegal since it did not include future development and he would consider appealing DEP’s approval of the plan.

Vossburg said the Paint-Elk Joint Township Sewer Authority has the final say on the River Hill project and he suggested Huwar attend the March 13 authority meeting.

Trucks still for sale

The township still has two trucks for sale. Supervisors voted to advertise the trucks and they received bids from three different entities, but none of the bids were acceptable.

The largest bid for the 1983 International 10-ton dump truck with plow and spreader unit was $2,050; and the largest bid for the 2006 Ford F-550 with plow and stainless steel spreader was $28,000.

Supervisor Ed Bouch said the bids were too small and supervisors voted to reject all bids.

Bouch moved to try to sell the trucks through a consignment auction later this spring, and if that fails, to advertise the trucks in Township News, the publication of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.

Manhole work

Supervisors approved a project to upgrade a number of manholes that are apparently leaking stormwater into the sanitary sewer system.

The repairs will be scheduled as a regular maintenance program. Township secretary Jacqui Blose said the township has the budget to carry out about $4,000 in manhole maintenance each year.

Supervisor Rodger Shingledecker noted that the township is requiring sewer system customers to replace lateral connections to prevent stormwater problems, when the township is also causing such problems.

The work will require excavation, but Blose said larger excavating contractors are not interested in such a small project, but Bauer Excavating and Trucking would be willing to do the work.

Supervisors approved Bauer to do the excavation part of the manhole project.

Evergreen Estates

Supervisors directed township engineer Ron Kopko to discuss some road drainage matters with the developers of Evergreen Estates, a housing development off Pine Terrace Road west of Route 66.

Vossburg said Kopko, himself and other township officials and engineers for developer Barry Shinn would meet at the site to do a final inspection and walk through so the development project could proceed.

Vossburg said he wanted to counter some rumors and stated that the township is not paying Kopko a retainer, and in fact, has not paid him anything at all so far. Supervisors appointed Kopko as township engineer in January.