April 23, 2009

Millcreek Township has received the Erie Water Works’ offer to take over its public-water service.

Supervisor Joseph Kujawa said he got the two-page conceptual outline at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

He declined to immediately release the offer until reading it and talking it over with his fellow supervisors, Larry Curtis and Brian McGrath. Those two supervisors were returning Wednesday from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors convention in Hershey.

“I would like to sit down with Brian and Larry, see what’s in there, talk about it and make a decision about where we’re going to go with it,'’ Kujawa said.

Kujawa did not share the proposal with the Millcreek Township Water Authority, which met Wednesday. The authority did not discuss the matter.

An Erie Water Works staff member hand-delivered the letter from Paul Vojtek, Erie Water Works’ chief executive.

Vojtek said he wrote that the supervisors should respond within 30 days if they want to pursue the proposal.

The key parts of the proposal, Vojtek said, are that Erie Water Works would assume operation of the Millcreek water system and all Millcreek customers would be treated equally on rates.

No dollar amounts are listed in the takeover offer, Kujawa and Vojtek said.

The arrangement would transfer about 7,000 Millcreek Water Authority customers to accounts at Erie Water Works.

Those customers pay 20 to 50 percent more, on average, than about 10,000 Millcreek customers already served by Erie Water Works.

A citizens task force called Cheaper Cleaner Water supports the takeover proposal, which has become a dominant issue in the race for incumbent Curtis’ seat on the board of supervisors.

Two members of that panel, Republican County Controller Sue Weber and retired Millcreek police Lt. Richard Figaski, a Democrat, are running for supervisor in the May 19 primary. Weber previously served 12 years as a supervisor.

All four candidates in the primary — the others are Curtis and businessman Mike Dougherty, both Republicans — have called for equal water rates during their respective campaigns.

Vojtek said if Erie were to take over Millcreek’s system, the sides would have to determine who would pay for a few minor upgrades that include electrical improvements to some pump stations, relining of some water tanks and some security improvements.

Re-posted from goerie.com: Read the Original Article Here