Unknown -- although not unexpected -- sewer problems will ensure that Avalon uses the entire $2.1 million borrowed to fund a boroughwide rehabilitation project, and ends up without enough money to completely repair all lines.

Chester Engineers' Shawn Rosensteel told council members at their meeting Wednesday evening that it had been possible to trim about $200,000 from the original cost estimate of $1.7 million before deficiencies discovered during the project ate up the savings as well as the contingency funds built into the borough's financing through PennVEST.

Avalon, along with other Western Pennsylvania municipalities, is under the mandates of an administrative consent order (ACO) designed to remove rain and ground water from the sanitary sewer system and thereby reduce unnecessary flow to the sewage treatment plant that is resulting in raw sewage being released into area waterways during periods of wet weather. The remediation work includes repairing, replacing and lining sewers and manholes.

Rosensteel said that the work that will not be completed due to lack of funds is relatively minor, mainly involving maintenance issues and a few hairline cracks in sewer lines, and will not keep Avalon from meeting the terms of the ACO. The problems, he said, can be monitored and repaired over time as money becomes available.

"You have years before these sewers become a problem," Rosensteel said.

Avalon hopes to recoup about $12,000 of the additional costs from Bellevue Borough. Rosensteel said that the borough's contractor damaged two unmarked Bellevue sewer lines. Municipalities and utility companies are required by state law to identify lines in a construction area as part of the Pennsylvania "One Call" system that provides information to keep such accidents from happening. Rosensteel said that the unmarked Bellevue lines were in the area of New Brighton Road in Avalon.

Borough manager Harry Dilmore said that Bellevue is claiming that it complied with the state law, which Avalon solicitor Richard Canciella said carries criminal penalties for violations. Rosensteel said, however, that engineers and the contractor have proof that the contractor made all necessary notifications of the work to be done, and Bellevue failed to identify its sewer lines in the area.

Officials said that Avalon was required to pay the contractor for the repair work, but that the borough would seek payment from Bellevue. Council member Ralph Cortese, however, opposed a motion to approve sewer project change orders and payment to the contractor of more than $400,000 because, he said, Bellevue should be paying the contractor directly.

The motion was approved in a 5-1 vote. Council members absent from the meeting were Al Wurst, Dan Sefick, and Vicki Donnelly, who was chairing a meeting of the Quaker Valley Council of Governments.

Avalon also will receive reimbursement of $20,390 from the Northgate School District for sewer and manhole work performed by the contractor behind Avalon Elementary School. Council unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement and changes to a mutual aid agreement to allow the school district to piggyback on the borough's contract.

Due to the extra work, the contractor now has until June 19 to complete the project. A boroughwide street rehabilitation project is expected to begin as soon as financing details are completed.