Centre County gets $1.2M grant to upgrade rural community’s aging sewer system
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DCED awards $1.235M CDBG to fund Eagle Creek community’s connection to Mid-Centre sewer.
- Two-inch main line will link community to public system and cut failures, other issues
- Grant prevents projected 240% fee spike and protects affordable housing options.
A Centre County community will receive a long-awaited upgrade to its aging sewer system after receiving a $1.2 million grant from the state.
The community development block grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development will be used to connect the Eagle Creek mobile home community to the public sewer system operated by Mid-Centre Authority in the nearby Unionville Borough.
The upgrade will protect public health and preserve affordable housing, according to a press release from the Susquehanna Economic Development Association Council of Governments.
“This funding is essential to keeping service costs reasonable for the homeowners while addressing critical infrastructure issues,” State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, wrote in a separate release. “A well-functioning sewer system is among the most essential elements of a community’s overall health and well-being.”
The residents of Eagle Creek currently rely on an aging on-site wastewater treatment plant managed by the homeowner’s association for sewer services. The plant has caused the community reliability, service disruption and environmental standard compliance issues for years.
The two-inch main line installation that will connect the community plant’s grinder pump to Mid-Centre’s system is expected to eliminate those issues. It will also help the community’s residents avoid an estimated 240% increase in sewer service fees, which could’ve led to the loss of affordable housing options in Centre County.
“Connecting to the existing public sewer system is the solution for the long-term,” U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard, wrote in SEDA-COG’s press release. “Through partnerships at the local, state, and federal level we can continue to innovate and adapt when it comes to affordable housing solutions in our growing region.”
Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins also welcomed the funding with open arms, sharing in Takac’s release that the grant award is “crucial” to the project’s completion.
No timeline was shared for the project’s completion.