Army center could spark sewer project

By Karen Blackledge
The Daily Item

Sun, May 18 2008

— DANVILLE -- A proposed Army Reserve Center could help Valley Township join its sewer lines with Danville's and end a moratorium on new connections.
"This may be a way of getting our sewer through the government to Danville," township zoning officer George Plafcan told supervisors Wednesday night.
"Maybe the armory can come up with the money to run it into town," Supervisors Chairman Gary Derr said.
According to Plafcan, the Army Reserve wants to combine Bloomsburg, Danville and Lewisburg centers into one, on about 60 acres of farmland next to the Hilltop restaurant along Route 642.
The center would employ 15 to 20 people and would house 50 reservists one weekend a month.
According to Plafcan, a lieutenant colonel from Fort Indiantown Gap "was pretty definite" about the center coming to the area.
Plafcan said he would pursue the possibility of sewer extension with the officer, who was aware of the moratorium on new municipal sewage connections and had been in contact with the township solicitor.
The closest main sewer line connection in Danville could be at townhouses near Perkins Restaurant, Derr said.
That would be just less than two miles from Valley Township's plant.
Township officials have said it could cost more than $2 million for the Valley Township sewer system to be connected to Danville. They aren't sure of the exact cost because the Danville sewage treatment plant has been mandated to provide upgrades to reduce nitrate and phosphate discharges into the Susquehanna River.
The costs could boost sewer rates as much as 400 percent to current users of the Danville system.
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