By SARA FURLONG

s.furlong@bradfordera.com

Last August, Bradford City Water Authority announced its intent to pursue legal action for the unauthorized use of its services at Orchard Place Apartments.

The unauthorized use of both water and sanitary services had been going on for years, according to Executive Director Steve Disney. In his August report to the authority board of directors, Disney said the authority had discovered in April that employees at the complex intentionally manipulated a bypass to divert water around the meter. Disney said owner Randall B.

Hall had previously stated that full restitution would be made. No payments were submitted, Disney stated, but a settlement has been reached in the matter between both Bradford City Water and Sanitary authorities and Hall and Orchard Apartments Inc.

Disney shared news of the settlement at the authority’s regular meeting this week. In addition to directing Hall and the corporation to

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Bradford City Water Authority has reached a settlement with Randall B. Hall and Orchard Apartments Inc. regarding the unauthorized use of both water and sanitary services on the property, according to executive director Steve Disney.

Era file photo immediately modify the property’s systems to accurately measure usage, the authorities also filed municipal liens against the property in September for delinquent water and sanitary fees. The authority’s investigation revealed the alleged unauthorized use of services had been occurring for a “significant number of years,” Disney said.

The settlement fully satisfies the municipal liens and precludes any further litigation.

Both authorities “remind customers that any tampering, rearranging, altering, interfering with or preventing the normal and customary function of the authority’s water meters or other material or equipment … is a summary offense punishable by a fine of up to $600 for each offense” and every day in violation is a separate offense.

Customers found to have bypassed meters will immediately be terminated from service and assessed a fee of $1,500 to $5,000 for each occurrence.

Also at the meeting, the authority relayed potential impacts of the impending Third Ward rehabilitation project along West Washington Street. Part of the Neighborhood Partnership Project, the corridor improvements from Mechanic Street to the city line will include a road base replacement as deep as 60 inches. This would severely hamper the authority’s buried assets such as gate boxes, gate valves, service lines and the actual water mains, Disney said.

The final roadway grade, overall, will be 4.5 inches lower than its current elevation with a 6- to 9-inch drop in some areas.

“Water assets are easily adjusted to roadway surfaces that increase and are engineered and manufactured to add riser rings, at minimal cost,” Disney explained. “But lowering roadway elevation is very detrimental to buried water infrastructure and extremely costly. The authority is not in favor of cost sharing with PennDOT to replace its buried assets along this corridor and maintains PennDOT should fully fund any infrastructure replacement at 100%.”

The authority also approved shutting down the area Bradford City Police formerly used as a shooting range. The area has been vandalized and littered with debris recently. All buildings and equipment will be removed and the area will be considered as a parking area for snowmobiler vehicles and trailers.

Disney reported the authority has verified that a house at 7 Hedgehog Lane, currently for sale, was built more than 100 years ago on top of two of the authority’s water mains. A legal disclosure will be included with the property and any new owner(s) will need to sign a hold harmless agreement to protect the authority.

Authority forester Ken Kane, president of Generations Forestry, updated the timber report. The Hazelton Mills blow down salvage was temporarily shut down due to weather but will resume soon. Northwest Hardwoods plans to move onto the Interstate Parkway timber sale soon, weather permitting. A first-quarter timber sale in the West Branch watershed is nearly marked and will be ready to bid by next week. A bid opening is scheduled for 1 p.m. April 22.

For the water meter replacement project, the installation portion is currently out for bid. Also out for bid is the water treatment plant’s lagoon cleaning project to remove built up sludge at an estimated cost of $300,000. An opening for both bids is set for April 21.

To move along the water treatment plant capital project, staff, operators and Bankson Engineers visited two plants to review clarification processes and help determine the pilot process that will need to be scheduled here. A tractor-trailer mounted treatment facility would then be brought in to evaluate the proposed process.

An American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant of $265,000 for the capital project requires a match by the authority. During its February meeting, the authority approved a third pay application for 179,377.56. At this week’s meeting, the authority approved a second reimbursement request of $119,591, two-thirds of the previously approved pay application. Also approved was a fourth pay application totaling $44,448.17.

Disney further reported that four authority employees attended the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association (PRWA) Conference in State College. The conference provides several certified training opportunities, and industry vendors have the latest and greatest technology on display. “The conference,” Disney said, “has been instrumental in providing the authority with countless opportunities for improvements.”