Nov 3, 2016 3 min read

Rostraver Township resident John Lorenzo presented the board of commissioners a petition signed by nearly 200 people opposing the possible sale of the Rostraver Township Sewage Authority to the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County.

The consensus of the residents who attended Wednesday’s Rostraver board meeting was that they oppose the possible sale and want control to stay with the township.

Resident Justin Kosanko said he and Lorenzo went door to door to gather signatures. “We have more signatures, but we wanted to get this petition in to show how the residents feel,” he said. He added that he may also file paperwork to put the issue to the voters as a referendum.

Resident Ray Ott said he thinks the commissioners should take a look at what is in the best interest of the township. As a growing community, if the sewage authority stays local, the township will have more control in new developments, he said.

Kosanko said he is working on a Facebook page and an online petition. “They are elected officials. They should do what is in the best interest of the residents, not what is in their best interest,” he added.

The Westmoreland County authority has offered the township $3 million for the authority and agreed to take on its $29.7 million in debt. Sewage rates would be frozen for three years. A joint meeting with the township sewage authority on the issue was held last week.

Lorenzo added that township residents should be aware of some other factors in the proposed sale.

“Commissioner Patrick Egros works at the authority and (commissioner) Gary Beck’s son has worked there since June 2016. In July a letter was sent to the state ethics board to give a ruling on Egros and Beck not abstaining from voting. There seems more to it than meets the eye,” he said.

Rostraver commissioners earlier this year directed township solicitor Albert Gaudio to investigate possible ethical issues involving Egros and Beck. Gaudio is a former solicitor for the Westmoreland County authority. He received an opinion for the state Ethics Commission that the two commissioners can vote on the issue since the MAWC is a political body and not a business. While the township may benefit financially, the commissioners will not, the ethics board said.

None of the commissioners commented on residents’ comments. At the start of the meeting and in his committee report, Commissioner Devin DeRienzo said that he felt that the joint meeting with the Rostraver Sewage Authority was a good start in the discussion.

In other news, the Rostraver police K-9 unit received a $2,000 Thomas Nega Drug Free Lifestyle grant in conjunction with Westmoreland County. Egros said the police dog is slated to graduate from training Nov. 11 and will be sworn in at the regular commissioners’ meeting Dec. 7.

The board also approved applying for $16,060 grant for the purchase of a play structure from Game Time for an addition at the DiVirgilio playground. The total cost of the the structure and installation is $53,537. The Recreation Complex Construction Fund will provide $26,008 and the balance will be paid from gas impact fees.