Townships preparing for life after sewer authority
UPPER GWYNEDD — The future of the Upper Gwynedd-Towamencin Municipal Authority is still up in the air, and talks are ongoing to determine what will happen with the shared sewer plant after the end of the year.
On Monday night Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners voted to extend the term of UGTMA’s existence through the end of 2014, but said little about what could happen next.
“We’re working on the future of what happens beyond this year,” said commissioners President Ken Kroberger.
According to Reporter archives, the joint authority consists of six members from both townships and owns and operates the sewage treatment plant located at 2225 Kriebel Road in Towamencin. A 50-year charter for the plant was established in 1964 and will expire this September.
Back in 2012 the commissioners began discussions on how to move ahead once the joint charter for the plant expires, and officials from both municipalities said at that time that not renewing the charter would leave Towamencin in control of the plant, but require a mutual separation agreement to be negotiated.
The motions passed Monday night by Upper Gwynedd’s board grant more time to do so — one resolution extends the articles of incorporation of UGTMA through the end of the year.
A second motion addresses payments by the township to the sewer authority, pursuant to a sewer lease and service agreement signed Oct. 1, 1991, and relating to the transfer of funds held by Univest Bank for UGTMA.
“To sum it up, there is a lot of money that we have in different locations that we have stored, and this is to get that money back into the township, so that we can do further processes,” said commissioner Tom Duffy, the board’s liaison to UGTMA.
“All we’re doing is authorizing the bank to put the money, in our accounts, that’s held by UGTMA,” Duffy said.
Township solicitor David Onorato added that the resolution also addresses sewer rental fees, allowing funds to stay in those accounts instead of requiring that payments be made by the township.
Kroberger said after the meeting that Upper Gwynedd continues “talking with Towamencin about the future beyond this year,” but declined to comment further.
Towamencin Township’s supervisors approved a similar mo- tion Wednesday night, extending the life of UGTMA to Dec. 31, according to Towamencin’s Manager Rob Ford. He said Thursday that Towamencin and Upper Gwynedd officials are planning to meet in the near future to discuss ways ahead for UGTMA, and said more information would likely be available by Towamencin’s next supervisors meeting on March 12.
That meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 12 at the Towamencin Municipal Complex, 1090 Troxel Road, for more information or meeting agendas visit www. Towamencin.org; Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on March 18 at their township administration building, 1 Parkside Place, and for more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org. The UGTMA’s Board of Directors is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. on March 3 at the UGTMA offices, 2225 Kriebel Road in Towamencin.