Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee's sewer and water subcommittee wants to break the contract with a consultant hired to conduct a study on consolidating sewer systems, said subcommittee Chairman Joseph Augustine.

"We're not making any headway with them," the Hermitage commissioner said of working with consultant L. Robert Kimball and Associates, Ebensburg, Pa. "We gave them all the material and that's as far as it went."

Dan Miller, project manager for Kimball, was not in his Moon Township, Allegheny County, office Friday, said a receptionist, who added that no one else was working on the study.

Kimball has told the committee the company has stopped work because it has not been paid, but Augustine said Kimball knew up front that the committee had no money and the contract specified that Kimball would be responsible for finding money for the study.

Kimball filed a $100,000 grant application with the state, but has not been ambitious enough in seeking funding, said Tom Tulip, Farrell's economic recovery coordinator.

Augustine said Kimball told the committee the application was filed before it actually was, and applied for $100,000 when the committee had agreed to seek $86,500.

The subcommittee has

The subcommittee still is pursuing funding through the state Department of Environmental Protection, even though the state has frozen funding for many grant programs because of the post-Sept. 11 economic slowdown, said Tulip, director of the Mercer County office of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Augustine said officials associated with the committee sought those funds and arranged meetings with state officials to lobby for them, not Kimball.

Tulip added that Kimball's application did not ask for funding using Farrell's economically distressed status.

The city of Farrell, the lead community in SVISC and the one that officially hired Kimball, has been billed for $13,000 from Kimball, said City Manager LaVon Saternow.

The city has been waiting for the subcommittee to work through the dispute.

"They need to resolve this and give the city direction," she said.

Should the contract be broken, Augustine said the subcommittee would want to proceed without a consultant. He noted that each community has its own consultant for sewer matters, and knows its future needs.

The grants that have been committed should be enough for the subcommittee to conduct its study, Augustine said.

The subcommittee likely will not recommend joining the sewer systems.

Instead, it will look at jointly administering sewer systems, while each community keeps its own sewer systems intact.

"It probably would be difficult to have one sewer authority because we would have to have different rates," Augustine added.

Farrell, Sharon, Hermitage, Wheatland and Sharpsville are members of SVISC, and Sharon, Hermitage, Farrell and Wheatland have their own sanitary sewer collection systems, while the Upper Shenango Valley Water Pollution Control Authority serves Sharpsville and parts of Sharon, Hermitage and South Pymatuning Township.

Farrell, Sharon and Hermitage operate wastewater treatment plants.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has said a single wastewater treatment plant serving the Shenango Valley would be big and expensive, Augustine said

"I don't think they would even allow it," Augustine said of his take on discussions with DEP.

The committee wants to resolve the Kimball dispute quickly so it can complete its report to SVISC, Augustine said.

Of the SVISC subcommittees, only the police, finance and sewer have not publicly presented reports. Augustine said the police report is close to being ready, and the finance committee cannot prepare a budget for a consolidated community until the other reports are in.

Tulip said he is frustrated at the slow pace of committee progress, but believes it cannot be avoided.

With Wheatland considering pulling out of the study, the committee needs to complete its work so the communities can discuss the recommendations, he said.

But, the complexity of the issues and potential ramifications requires that they be addressed thoroughly, not just quickly, he added.

SVISC has not met since July, and is not planning to meet until Nov. 19.

"We need the time," Augustine said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharonherald.com