Wheatland council has agreed to take over ownership of the catch basins in a new storm sewer line on Woodland Avenue that authorities hope will stop water from collecting around the houses there, possibly causing a mold problem.

The plan to build the line will have to be sold to the five homeowners on whose property the work will be done.

While homeowners have generally supported the plan, Melissa Holder was critical that a change was not unveiled to her until the council meeting Wednesday.

Ms. Holder of 65 Woodland said she met earlier in the day with Jon Snyder, project engineer of Hickory Engineering Inc., Hermitage, and he did not mention that the easements homeowners would be asked to accept would be wider than originally discussed -- 15 feet instead of 10.

"I thought that was a little sneaky," she told council.

Councilwoman Lorraine Jones, who said she also met with Snyder earlier in the day, said the easement change was likely to be the biggest bone of contention among the homeowners.

Ms. Holder said she's not sure if the extra 5 feet will make a difference in her decision, but, she said, she believes it will jeopardize a playhouse built for her two children, which appears to go over the easement.

She said Snyder had told her the playhouse could stay.

Street department worker Andrew "Bucky" Clarke said anything that can easily be removed and replaced can be built over easements, and that includes fences and swing sets. Permanent buildings are forbidden, he said.

Snyder said the change was made at council's request.

Clarke said the additional 5 feet will make it easier for employees to get a truck to the catch basins and give them more room to work.

By assuming ownership, council agreed to maintain the catch basins, which will collect the water that runs into storm drains until it can pass through the line.

Another change council requested was a 15-inch pipe along the whole length of the new line, instead of a combination of 12- and 15-inch lines.

Water will move more quickly through a 15-inch line, and is less likely to back up.

Community Homebuyers Inc., developer of the five homes, which were built in 2000, has agreed to pay for the work, and must enter into agreements with the homeowners so construction can be done on their properties, Snyder said.

Council also needs to reach easement agreements with the homeowners, allowing borough workers to maintain the catch basins, he said.

Snyder said the work will attempt to channel surface and underground water from a suspected spring away from the houses.

New downspouts will be put on the houses to take water off the roofs quicker, and dump it on the ground farther away. The yards will be regraded and fill dirt and top soil will be added to slope the yards to run water away.

The homes already have sump pumps and footer drains, but foundation drains will be added to the four upper homes to help take water away, Snyder said.

Snyder said he believes the work will take a majority of the water away from the homes.

Councilman Don Stinedurf said he wants to be convinced the plan will work.

"I'm worried about a Band-Aid," he said, echoing the words of his son, D.J. Stinedurf, Ms. Holder's fiancé and co-owner of 65 Woodland.

Aside from the plan Hickory has done, CHI, a non-profit affiliate of Mercer County Housing Authority, has hired Microbac Laboratories of Erie to develop a plan to deal with the mold.

Mold that is potentially harmful to humans was found in all five homes.