Mechanicsburg looks to fund $2.5 million water project

Mechanicsburg will move forward with a $2.5 million project to make repairs to its water treatment plant and replace water mains.

The village will look to fund the project through loans and grants, Village Administrator April Huggins-Davis said.

Village leaders have worked on plans for the project for five years, she said.

“We’re trying to increase water flow throughout the village,” she said.

At a meeting earlier this month, village council members approved plans to move forward with two parts of the project: replacing aging pipes and repairs to the water treatment plant. Plans to install a water softener were not approved, Huggins-Davis said.

The project will dedicate about $2 million to the replacement of aging pipes and $500,000 to repairs at the Water Treatment Plant, 18 N. Main St.

The village’s water lines were put in about 80 years ago, Huggins-Davis said.

“We have a lot of water main breaks in the heat of summer and the coldest part of the winter,” she said.

“The pressure is fine but more water will be available for flow,” she said, which will help in case of a fire.

Electrical upgrades will be made at the water treatment plant, she said, as well as a new paint job and replacement of some valves. The village will also get 27 new fire hydrants.

Village administrators will begin applying for funding for the project this summer, Huggins-Davis said.

“We’re hoping to start construction maybe next summer,” she said.

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