Conneaut Lake water authority splits on possible bulk water sale
Jun. 15—CONNEAUT LAKE — After a split vote, the Municipal Authority of Conneaut Lake is moving forward with possibly selling bulk water to a potential housing development in Sadsbury Township.
Conneaut Lake Properties LLC of Wexford wants to build a more-than-100-unit mixed-use housing development in the township called Reflections on Conneaut Lake.
It would have 22 single-family homes, 37 carriage homes and 44 townhouses on a 75-acre site near Pymatuning Avenue and Aldina Drive, about a mile north of the borough.
The company wants to have the municipal authority sell it water in bulk rather than drill its own water wells and have its own water system on the property.
Authority members split the vote Monday 2-1, with one abstention and one member absent from the vote, to go forward with preparations of a developer's agreement between the authority and Conneaut Lake Properties on the sale of bulk water.
Under Pennsylvania case law, the vote counted as approval as there was a quorum of members for the vote and a majority of those present voted in favor.
Board members Mario DeBlasio and Jim Tigri voted having the authority's attorney, Brian Cagle, and engineer Steve Halmi, of Deiss & Halmi Engineering, start work on a proposed agreement while Chairman Carl McLean voted against it, saying the matter was unclear at this point.
Rob Golenburke abstained after previously having asked for the matter to be tabled pending more information.
Alan Baldarelli was in attendance at the meeting, but had left prior to the vote which took place about 8:45 p.m. Monday.
Prior to his departure, Baldarelli expressed a number of concerns to Joseph Katzfey, a representative of Conneaut Lake Properties.
Baldarelli said he was concerned that the authority only has two water wells and that one of those only is operating at 50 percent of its capacity. Baldarelli said he couldn't vote for a bulk water sales agreement until the authority had well improvements or a new well to add capacity
Prior to the vote, DeBlasio pointed out the developer has put $8,000 toward paying for staff time to develop a potential agreement.
The agreement would look at things like capacity, cost, and its impact on rate payers on the system.
"They've been here twice, spent money on it," DeBlasio said. "We should do what they're asking. If it turns out it's not good for the rate payers, we should stop and not do anything. The one thing we should not do is drag our feet for months and months and months."
Cagle pointed out Sadsbury Township would be required to approve any bulk water agreement between the authority and Conneaut Lake Properties if water lines were to go into the township. However, Sadsbury would not be required to be a partner to the agreement itself, he said.
DeBlasio said he knew of no circumstance where the authority could move forward if Sadsbury were to object to a bulk water sale.
Conneaut Lake Properties prefers to get a bulk water sales agreement from the authority, but could drill its own water wells onsite if needed to have the project move ahead, Katzfey told the authority.
Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.
