SHARPSVILLE, PA. Officials won't sell plant

Sharpsville is looking at a number of scenarios to expand its water plant operation.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- Borough council says the municipal water plant is not for sale.
Council members, meeting as the borough water committee Tuesday, said they have no interest in getting rid of the plant.
"We're not under any pressure to do it," said Councilman Guy Moderelli, water committee chairman. "As of tonight, nobody even wants to consider a sale."
Committee members heard a report from Killam Associates of Warrendale, Pa., consulting engineers, and the accounting firm of Black, Bashor & amp; Porsch of Sharon about the plant's future needs and what they might cost.
It was the latest chapter in the borough's look at the 50-year-old facility along the banks of the Shenango River.
Proposal: The review was prompted by an informal proposal from Consumers Pennsylvania Water Co. last year to buy the plant. That resulted in borough officials looking at whether the plant should be rebuilt, replaced or sold.
Sharpsville could perhaps get $4 million by selling the plant, but officials wanted to know what it would cost to keep the plant, Moderelli said.
He said Killam came up with four scenarios, showing a cost of $1.9 million to rehabilitate the plant and keep it capable of pumping about 1 million gallons of water per day; $2.2 million to expand the plant by about 500,000 gallons per day; $3.3 million to replace it with a high-tech plant; or build a new, traditional water plant at a cost of slightly more than $3.3 million.
In any of those scenarios, the water rate paid by residents would increase from the $20 per 5,000 gallons per month to around $30 per month for that same usage, Moderelli said.
Consumers Pennsylvania had said that Sharpsville customers would see the same rate increase over a period of about five years if the company buys the plant, he said.
But council members are unwilling to sell something that has been a vital part of the borough for decades, Moderelli said.
Status: The plant is operating well but is near its pumping capacity now, he said, noting that it is sending nearly 170,000 gallons per day into adjoining South Pymatuning Township to serve customers there.
Council wants to meet with South Pymatuning officials to determine what their future water needs might be before deciding on a course of action. Should an increased demand from South Pymatuning require plant expansion, South Pymatuning would be expected to share in any expansion costs, Moderelli said.