WP monthly sewer fee to be $21-$22, council says

When introduced, West Pittston residents will likely pay a new sewer levy of $21-$22 a month, up from the current $5 a month, council confirmed Tuesday.

This came despite charges from owners of tenanted properties that the move would be an imposition on them, and force them to pass the sewer costs on to their tenants, or absorb the costs themselves. Council president Brian Thornton told one property owner that the charge per “discharge unit” was the fairest way to deal with residential properties.

The procedure for dealing with commercial properties is still to be worked out, but will likely involve computations of water usage, and could possibly work out higher than the planned residential rate, he noted.

Council expects the details of the sewer policy should be worked out in the next few months, the meeting was told.

The borough approved contractor payments of $270,295.06 to Pioneer Construction for work on phase one of the project, and engineering changes to cover curb to curb paving of the streets involved in the phase.

That part of the work was funded from CFA grant revenue rather than the PennVest loan covering the rest of the project, Thornton told residents, and had not been included in the original plans submitted for PennVest approval. Having the work done had always been the borough’s intent, he noted.

In other business, council moved to prepare bid specifications for a Fallen Heroes Memorial at the West Pittston Armory.

Mayor William Goldsworthy noted that the only memorial at the Armory commemorates those who fought in the Spanish American War, at the end of the 19th Century.

Final approval came from the State Armory Board in Harrisburg to permit a memorial to all soldiers from the area who died while serving with the 109th, the mayor said.

Goldsworthy also noted the donation of $1100 from Atlas Realty toward the restoration of the West Pittston Pool. The donation was made to the Luzerne Foundation.

What happens to that revenue if the pool project does not come to fruition is still up in the air, a representative of the Goodwill Hose Company was told.

The company gave its fire engine to the project, with the stipulation that money received from the sale be put towards the pool project. Council noted that the vehicle had not yet been sold.