ZELIENOPLE — Borough council likely will decide in May whether or not to penalize a contracting firm working on water and sewage line replacements along Perry Way that are a month behind schedule.

W.M. Aiken and Sons Excavating of Mars was hired in December to do the construction on Perry Way between Route 19 and Evans Road.

That contract, which was approved by council in October, was for $218,309.

Dustin Aiken, representing the business, came to council Monday night requesting a time extension on the project, which was supposed to be done by March 8.

He said it will take the company until April 30 to complete the rest of the work.

The contract stipulated the project to be done within 90 of its signing or the contractor would face a $1,000 per day penalty.

Aiken cited about 20 days of snow and bad weather, unexpected excavation issues and a week late start on the project from when the contract was signed as the reasons for the delay.

Borough engineer Tom Thompson recommended the borough council wait until the work was completed by the contractor before making a decision.

Thompson will give his professional assessment of the accounting of the working days lost that are claimed by the contractor so that council has all the information on whether the late penalties are warranted.

Borough manager Don Pepe said there have been no problems caused by the construction delay to either the water and sewer systems.

However, he said people and businesses in the construction area have been inconvenienced and that’s not something the borough had wanted.

They’ve been forced to deal with road closures and avoiding the construction during the project. Work began Dec. 20 and still is not completed.

The work zone is from the now idled Zelienople Water Plant to Perry Way to where it meets Route 19.

The water and sewage line work is preparation work for the larger Main Street water line replacement project, which is to begin later this summer.

Pepe said although the contractor fell behind schedule, it is a good company and the work that has been done has been good.

“They’re through the worst of it (the work),” said Pepe, who added it will be up to borough council to determine what days the company will be credited for and what days it will not.