From left, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th; Cranberry Township board of supervisors members Bruce Hezlep, Mike Manipole, Karen Newpol and John Skorupan; and Township manager Dan Santoro celebrate community funding for infrastructure projects at the Cranberry Municipal Building on Thursday, April 4. Submitted Photo

Cranberry Township is moving forward with two infrastructure improvement projects to upgrade the sanitary sewer and water line systems.

The township soon will be looking to rebuild the Franklin Acres Pump Station as well as begin phase one of the Route 19 project, which will replace a large section of the township’s main water line.

“The new infrastructure represents the township’s continued investment in the future of the community with ongoing support from state and federal legislators,” said Cranberry Township manger Dan Santoro.

On Thursday, April 4, Cranberry Township board members met U.S. Rep Mike Kelly, R-16th, to discuss the upcoming projects and were presented with two ceremonial checks — $960,000 for the Franklin Acres Pump Station project and $1,250,000 for the Route 19 water line project.

“Congressman Kelly has been a champion of replacing infrastructure in Butler County and Cranberry Township,” Santoro said. “We have a congressman who is willing to listen to the needs of his community and try to go to bat for them.”

The Franklin Acres Pump Station, originally constructed in 1979, will undergo a complete rebuild, according to Santoro, but construction should not impede the facility’s functionality.

“You can’t take a facility like that offline because there is a sewer flowing through it that pumps back to the gravity system,” he said. “So we need to build a new one and replace the old one.”

The design and permits for the $1.4 million project have been completed, and Santoro said the township is planning to hold bids for construction within the next few months.

The township is planning to have the first phase of the Route 19 water line replacement project completed before the end of the year.

“It’s one of the earlier water lines in the township,” Santoro said. “We’re always very productive about infrastructure replacement and we’re having challenges with it.”

The water line, which Santora said was built more than 60 years ago, has had breaks which have caused disruption in water service.

The projected cost of the first phase of the project is $4 million, and the township plans to put the project up for bid in the next few months. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year.