SHARPSVILLE Upgrade would raise sewer bills

The borough could be on the hook for as much as $6 million to pay for the expansion.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- Borough residents could see their monthly sewer rates double because of improvements at the sewage treatment plant in Sharon.
Borough Manager Michael Wilson, speaking at Wednesday's council meeting, said the borough will be expected to share the cost of expanding Sharon's plant, and the average monthly sewer bill for Sharpsville residents could rise from $25 to $50.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is pressuring Sharon to improve its plant to eliminate the overflow of untreated sewage into the Shenango River during wet weather.
Officials don't have a final estimate on that project, but Sharpsville has been told it could cost $28 million.
Sharpsville is tied into the plant through the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority, which sends sewage from Sharpsville and parts of Hermitage and South Pymatuning Township to the Sharon facility for treatment.
Agreement
Under an agreement between the authority and Sharon, the authority will be responsible for one-third of any expansion of the plant, and Sharpsville, as the largest member of the authority, must cover two-thirds of the authority's share of that cost, Wilson said.
That means the borough's cost for the improvement could be around $6 million.
The borough would have to raise rates substantially, perhaps doubling them, to pay that debt, Wilson said.
The state has said the average sewer rate in Pennsylvania is between $50 and $60 a month. Sharon and the authority members would be expected to raise their rates to that level before the state will consider any grant assistance for the improvement project, he said.
Tax abatements
In other matters, Wilson said council wants to meet at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 with the Sharpsville School Board and Mercer County Commissioners to discuss a tax abatement plan for commercial and industrial properties in the borough.
Council plans to enact a 10-year full property tax abatement program for any new construction or building addition and wants the school district and county to give the same tax break in the borough.