Westmoreland County, Pa., secures $8.8 million in funding for water, sewer projects

(UI) — Using a portion of the $105.3 million in American Rescue Plan funds the county got from the federal government in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Westmoreland commissioners on Thursday granted 43 grants totaling roughly $8.8 million for improvements to the county's water and sewage systems, the Tribune-Review reported.

The commissioners allocated up to $10 million for water and sewage infrastructure improvements last summer.

The county's covid funding has been allotted for more than $55 million worth of projects, including social service initiatives, courthouse parking garage renovations, blight removal, technology improvements, and blight removal. All American Rescue Plan funding must be distributed by the county by the end of 2024 and used by the beginning of 2027.

According to East Huntingdon Supervisor Joel Suter, as reported by the Tribune-Review, the upcoming extension of water lines to connect to the municipal system in East Huntingdon has the potential to provide municipal water service to approximately 50 farms and other properties.

This significant project is made possible, in part, thanks to the financial support from Westmoreland County. Without this funding assistance, it is likely that the project would not have come to fruition. The aim is to complete the extension and enable the provision of municipal water service by the fall.

The water and sewer grant program was initially proposed by commissioners in the previous summer, with the deadline for funding applications set for the end of October. To evaluate the funding requests, the county enlisted the assistance of a private consultant. Meghan McCandless, the county's finance director, revealed that local municipalities had sought over $188 million in funding.

Originally, grants were intended to be limited to $250,000 per project, with municipalities required to provide a matching contribution of 25% for each project. However, commissioners decided to surpass the grant caps for five specific projects.

These projects include the water line extension in East Huntingdon, stormwater sewer improvements in Jeannette, stormwater sewer installation in Unity, sewer enhancements in New Kensington, and water line upgrades in South Huntingdon. For projects that exceeded the cap, municipal matches were mandated to be as high as 50%, as explained by McCandless.

In East Huntingdon, the awarded grant of $555,175, which happens to be the largest grant awarded by the commissioners, will be utilized to extend water lines along Creek and Chaintown roads. The primary objective of this project, as stated in the township's application, is to address the concerns of property owners who have been experiencing issues with poor water quality and declining local wells.

The extension of the water lines will enable the properties to access the services provided by the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. Supervisor Joel Suter expressed his optimism about the project, stating that the work began two weeks ago and is expected to be completed by the fall. He further added that the grant funding was anticipated, reflecting the significance of the grant in fulfilling the community's water infrastructure needs in East Huntingdon.

The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC), which serves as the largest water provider in the county, is actively involved in managing East Huntingdon's water line extension project. Additionally, MAWC has provided assistance to other municipalities, including Bell, Penn, and South Huntingdon townships, as well as Laurel Mountain, in their grant applications for various water projects. This support has been provided to address the needs of these communities and improve their water infrastructure, as explained by MAWC's business manager, Brian Hohman.

Unity, another municipality in the area, applied for two grants and received over $353,000 in funding. This grant will be used to install a stormwater sewer at Berkey Acres, aiming to resolve flooding issues that have been plaguing the area.

Supervisor Mike O'Barto expressed gratitude for the grant, emphasizing the rising costs of construction materials due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He further highlighted that the availability of grant funding enables the municipality to tackle these important projects and assist homeowners effectively, noting that such initiatives would not be possible without the financial support provided.

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