Supporters fear for Keystone Park project, plan informational meeting

Supporters of a project that would extend public sewage service and a recreational trail to Keystone State Park plan to meet next week in an effort to keep the underfunded project from being canceled.

The informational meeting, set for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the New Alexandria Community Center, was prompted by a motion at last month’s Derry Township Municipal Authority meeting to terminate the project and stop spending money on it. That motion was tabled, but supporters — like authority board member Ellen Keefe — are concerned the project could meet its demise if the motion is revived and voted on at the authority’s June 26 meeting.

Keefe said she is acting as a private citizen, not an authority member, in promoting the meeting. She said time is of the essence for people who have a stake in the project — including 33 households that would gain sewage service — to make their wishes known.

“We want to get the people involved to come out and get more information,” she said. “Until the people actually involved make their wishes known, the board is making a decision without really considering what the people affected want.”

The $2.6 million project would extend a sewer line from the New Alexandria treatment plant to the state park, which has an outdated treatment facility. The right-of-way excavated for the line would double as a route for the proposed Loyalhanna Trail, stretching nearly four miles between Gray Wing Park in New Alexandria and the state park.

In addition to $2 million in state grants for the trail and a $474,000 contribution from the authority, the state PennVEST program has approved $1.8 million in funding for the sewage project.

But, because the latter funding is a low-interest loan instead of a grant, the new sewage customers could face estimated debt service payments of up to $104 per month, according to authority manager Carol Henderson.

Authority member Gilbert Stemmler, who moved to stop the project in May, believes the trail and sewage extension would be a boon for the state park and the community — but not at that projected cost for customers.

“I’m still for the project if we can get those numbers down,” he said. “I’ve always said I cannot put a burden on the sewage customer to pay over $60 per month for debt service.

“If the 33 customers would approach the board (to support the project), by all means I’ll rescind my motion.”

Keefe noted that if stakeholders voice opposition to the project, that’s also important input.

Henderson said another option may be spreading the debt service among all customers, not just the new ones who would be served by the extension. The authority has until November to close on the loan if it decides to proceed with the project.