PROSPECT — Borough officials were adamant Monday night that the borough council is not ready to take any action on the proposed mandatory water line project.

About 35 people attended the informational meeting regarding a potential project through Pennsylvania American Water to bring public water to Prospect.

Since the project also is intended to serve Moraine State Park, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is to contribute $800,000 to the $3.2 million project.

The remaining $2.4 million would come from Pennsylvania American Water.

To move this project forward, the company has asked the borough to pass an ordinance mandating that the 205 property owners directly adjacent to the water lines connect to Pennsylvania American’s service. The homeowners would be responsible for the installation costs from the curb to their homes, an estimated $1,500 to $3,500 cost per customer.

Council President Bill Marciniak stressed that the project is not a done deal.

However, Pennsylvania American needs the “endorsement” from council to invest $2.4 million in the area, according to Keith Gabage, senior manager of business development at Pennsylvania American.

“It’s our investment in the community,” Gabage said. “Normally, you try to get the customers to aid in the investment, and that’s why we’re looking for an ordinance to be passed.”

Gabage added that DCNR’s contribution to the project is an “opportunity to reduce the cost” of bringing public water to Prospect. Without the $800,000 contribution from DCNR, that additional cost would have to be dispersed among the customers, resulting in a roughly $4,000 increase in cost for each homeowner, Gabage said,

This project would not serve the entirety of Moraine State Park but would allow for an inch-and-a-half water main in the park, making some residents question why the project is even at the current scale it is.

Many residents said the borough needs to ask DCNR to contribute more to the project, which Marciniak said council will do.

But he does not believe that will yield anything significant.

“I was told basically it is (a dead end),” Marciniak said on whether DCNR will contribute more money to the project.

Councilman Mary Harmon previously called the project a “gift,” which Gabage seconded.

However, Jim Reich, owner of Prospect Pizza on Main Street, does not agree.

“A gift is something that is free,” Reich said.

Although Reich is not one of the 205 customers affected by the proposed ordinance, he has spoken out against mandating that people, often with fixed incomes, pay for public water.

“You put a foot in the door, and this whole thing is going to roll from Portersville to (Zelienople),” he said.

Cathy Hogue of Main Street also is not included in the project’s scope but is concerned about the possibility for the borough to expand the number of mandatory tap-ins.

“It’s not right to force anybody to do something they don’t want to do,” said Hogue, who also said the borough officials need to act as representatives for what residents want, not what they believe the people should want.

Three council members would be affected by the proposed ordinance: Sam Wagner, Chad Green and Marciniak.

Wagner has been surveying the 205 customers covered by the ordinance, and he said the results are closer than he expected. Only half of the residents have been contacted.

While Wagner would like the water, he said he will vote in the interest of the residents if they oppose the ordinance.

For Harmon, the issue is easy.

“This is an opportunity to help this borough get into the 21st century for a nominal fee,” she said.

Other plans to bring public water to the borough could cost homeowners significantly more or cause the borough to amass debt.

Marciniak stressed that the project would bring much-needed growth to Prospect.

“In order for Prospect to grow — in order for your taxes not to go up because they’re going to go up if we don’t grow, your sewage rates will go up if we don’t grow — you need water and sewage ...” Marciniak said. “That’s how you increase your tax base, that’s how you increase growth.”

“We try to do things for the betterment of the borough. People need to give us the opportunity to do our due diligence,” he said. “This was a lynch mob from day one ... we knew this wasn’t a popular thing.”

At the end of the meeting, Harmon requested the council vote to advertise the ordinance, which must be done 30 days before the ordinance can be voted on by the council.

Many residents said that was not appropriate since the meeting was for informational purposes only.

The council could vote to advertise the ordinance at the March 7 meeting at 7 p.m. at the borough office, 159 Monroe St.