The Franklin General Authority unanimously approved its 2024 water and sewer budgets, with a rate increase, at its monthly meeting Tuesday.
The budgets call for monthly water rates to increase by $2 and sewer rates by $1.45.
The preliminary budget discussed last month had only called for a $1-per-month water rate increase, and the additional increase is due to a price quote the authority had received since that meeting.
The drain cleaning, scheduled to start in the spring by contractor USG, will cost about $53,500, which authority chairman Tim Dunkle added “could go higher.”
A $2 water rate raise, which would give the city about an additional $72,000 to work with over the $1 raise, would provide the money to cover that cost in the budget, Dunkle said.
Authority member John Eckel noted last month that the original rate increases were proposed to help prepare for some upcoming large expenses so that the authority doesn’t have to impose a large rate hike all at once in the future.
The Third Street dam, a long-decommissioned reservoir on city property, has a clogged outflow pipe, and the DEP determined the dam must be safely breached and remediated (removed), classifying it as a high-hazard project.
The dam was owned by a company no longer in existence, meaning the city and authority had to take over its ownership in September for the DEP-required remediation.
The total cost of removing the dam is projected to be at least $1 million, and the city and authority have applied for two grants to assist with funding, on which they have not yet received word.
“We’re hoping that cleaning the drain will keep it drained enough to kick the can down the road a little, give us some time,” Dunkle said.
Project updates
In other business at Tuesday’s authority meeting, Kyle Fritz from the EADS Group engineering firm told the authority that PENNVEST has suggested the authority wait to submit its funding application for its A-108 combined sewer overflow project until August 2024, rather than May 2024, as a large project in Erie is projected to soak up most of the May funding.
“Construction would still start in the spring of 2025,” Fritz said.
Regarding the project timeline, Fritz noted that PennDOT’s schedule for its 15th and Liberty Street Betterment Project is “basically the exact same as ours” for Franklin’s A-108 project.
Because of that, the engineers are tweaking the plans to include trenchless pipe installation as much as possible, and lining rather than replacing main lines, so as not to dig up the road after PennDOT has come through.
The authority and PennDOT are “coordinating as much as we possibly can,” Fritz said.
Fritz also said the new 15th Street pump station has been installed, and Terra Works of Clarion will be working on the electrical system next week.
SCADA discussion
Franklin fire chief Jim Wetzel, who will be taking over as city manager in January, brought up the recent SCADA breach at a water plant in Beaver County and inquired about any potential risks in Franklin’s SCADA systems.
A brief discussion followed, in which Devin Hines of the water network remarked that any hacker would only really be able to turn pumps on or off, since things like chlorination are not controlled by the SCADA.
“Most of our SCADA is observational, not operational,” remarked Franklin utilities director Kurt McFadden.
According to a Dec. 5 article from CPO Magazine, a publication on data protection, privacy and cyber security, the hackers who breached the pressure monitoring equipment at the Aliquippa plant were an Iranian group targeting systems containing Israeli-made parts.
Aliquippa plant operators were able to switch to manual controls, and water quality and availability were not affected, the article said.
Hines said Tuesday that crews could check the origins of Franklin’s system parts, and Dunkle suggested the authority have a SCADA technician come in and assess the system, which was also done a few years ago.
Authority member Chad Ellis asked what the response would be if a breach were to occur, which authority solicitor Brian Spaid recommended to be discussed in executive session since it would involve the details of the response.
In another matter, Dunkle held a moment of silence to remember Scott Stoltenberg of the water network, who passed away Nov. 24.
The authority also approved a motion introduced by Eckel to place a memorial plaque to Stoltenberg on a new fire hydrant across from the Pepsi plant on Allegheny Boulevard, as it was the last thing he worked on before he passed away Nov. 20.
— Mike Moore of the wastewater network said the authority’s new sewer jet truck is scheduled to be delivered around Jan. 10, and the authority approved Moore to make the payment in person at the manufacturer pending his inspection and review of the vehicle.
— McFadden said there had been a valve leak under the new multimodal bike trail along Allegheny Boulevard, in front of the IPEG building, which crews had “tweaked” so it was no longer leaking, “but we don’t know for how long,” he said.
That valve will be replaced as part of the upcoming Allegheny Boulevard and Front Street waterline project.
— Dunkle said the authority’s drought contingency plan, which it updated earlier this year as it was outdated, has been approved by the DEP.
— Hines said an underperforming well that had seemed to be clogged with silt was performing very well since being cleaned.
— And retiring Franklin city manager Tracy Jamieson told the panel it had been “enjoyable” to work with them, and thanked them for “all the pleasantries and courtesies extended.”
Dunkle said it had been “fun” to work with Jamieson and thanked her.
