$1.8M more awarded to finish Hooversville water project
Sep. 1—SOMERSET, Pa. — A $1.8 million grant has been received to overhaul Hooversville Borough's water system — part of which would be used to replace leaky lines under the borough's main thoroughfares.
The Somerset County Redevelopment Authority was awarded the Community Development Block Grant funding on behalf of the borough, which has been working for 15 years to address water supply and reliability issues.
The borough has relied on a deteriorating system and a drought-prone Stonycreek River whose water was pricey to treat.
"You don't know how great this is for our town," Borough Council President Ken Karashowsky said on Thursday.
Previous funding enabled Hooversville Borough to connect to a Conemaugh Township municipal line in Blough, enabling the borough to bypass the river last week, Karashowsky said.
The authority, after approval by the Somerset County commissioners, submitted an application for the state Department of Community and Economic Development funds in February to finish the work.
The new funding will add water lines along Main, Water and Lohr streets and Maple Avenue, plus other components, including hydrants and blow-off assemblies, the state DCED officials announced in a media release.
"It's great to add new, reliable water ... but if you have old, leaky pipes losing a large amount of water, that's a big problem," Redevelopment Director Steve Spochart said in an interview on Thursday.
A 250,000-gallon water tank will also be installed to give the borough needed extra storage.
Karashowsky said state Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, and state Sen. Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette, also threw their support behind the project. He is hopeful the work will begin in the summer of 2024.
Spochart said the project competed against others statewide to receive the funding. Just three sewer or water projects received CDBG support Thursday, including one in Juniata Terrace, Mifflin County, and another in Sullivan County.
