Despite icy conditions and a narrow driveway, which limited vehicle access, Blair County firefighters extinguished a two-alarm chimney fire Saturday at a reside
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
Pennvest on Wednesday awarded the Altoona Water Authority $30.9 million in low-interest loans to renovate the Bellwood dam and the water treatment plant below it.
The authority, which has been planning the projects for several years, received a permit from the Department of Environmental Protection for the plant renovation several months ago and one for the dam renovation several weeks ago.
The authority is undertaking the $21 million dam project under pressure from DEP, because its spillway is severely undersized, posing a risk in the event of a major storm. The authority is undertaking the $9.9 million plant project because it’s nearing the end of its projected life, so it makes sense to do the work while the reservoir behind the dam is empty.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
For the second year in a row, the Altoona Water Authority isn’t raising rates after five consecutive years in which costs for authority customers went up.
Last year, the authority avoided a rate hike partly due to the benefits of a rate restructuring in December 2018 that moved the authority away from charges based on amounts of water used toward charges based on fixed costs like wages offsetting a long-term societal trend toward reduced water usage coupled with the imposition of a capital surcharge.
This year, there’s no need for an increase due partly to capital loans having been repaid for the water division and revenue from treating leachate from outside sources this year offsetting a deficit on the sewer side, according to controller Gina DeRubeis.
bkibler@altoonamirror.com
At a recent meeting of the Altoona Water Authority, landlords showered the board with objections to an authority proposal to eliminate tenant billing, in order to increase administrative efficiency.
The authority is scheduled to meet today.
The plan would hurt both landlords and tenants, according to local attorney Sean Burke.
If things worked perfectly, owners could just take over water accounts, pay the bills and pass on the costs to tenants in the form of additional rent, Burke said. But things are unlikely to go perfectly.
Some owners will be reluctant to pass on the extra cost, which means their income will be compromised.