Scott Twp. officials hoping to find out what went wrong on sewer project

After hiring a new project engineer and approving a proposal that will allow them to borrow up to $2 million more to cover the remaining cost of the project, both the Scott Twp. Sewer Authority and board of supervisors are now looking to find out what went wrong.

The Scott Twp. sewer project has come with a series of setbacks, change orders and surprise costs that have put the project about 38 percent over budget, said Supervisor Chairman Dave Makala.

Mr. Makala said that if there were errors, someone must be held accountable. He and the supervisors are waiting for a report from an independent engineer from Harrisburg that reviewed the project.

"We need to get the independent study done; at that point we'll decide as supervisors if there will be any action taken against the sewer authority or any other party," Mr. Makala said.

About 1,350 homes and businesses in Scott Twp. will hook up to the $18.4 million sewer system, which has been under construction since October 2009. The system is part of a plan to address the state Department of Environmental Protection's concerns about malfunctioning septic tanks polluting Griffin Pond and Chapman Lake.

Meanwhile, the township will foot the bill for the uncompleted work, including paying to install about 20 laterals, or sewer hookups for homes and businesses, that were missed or skipped during the course of the design and construction.

One of the missing laterals leads to a trailer park that should serve 27 equivalent dwelling units, a standard measurement of sewer usage, sewer authority member Michael Giannetta said. A single-family home usually counts as a single EDU, and apartment complexes, schools and large businesses count as more.

"We need to get them in now because we're missing out on revenue from all the homes and businesses" that cannot hook into the system, Mr. Giannetta said.

Because of the missed laterals and change orders, the money budgeted for road repair was eaten up. There are not enough funds to complete the repairs to roads damaged during the project, officials said.

Former sewer authority member Bill White said he voted "no" on many of the change orders presented by contractors and engineers. Now the township is paying for those project changes in the form of the possible $2 million loan, he added.

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Scott Twp. officials hoping to find out what went wrong on sewer project