PROSPECT — An ordinance to require some borough residents to tap into a proposed public water system was rejected Monday night by the borough council.

The ordinance stemmed from a project at Moraine State Park through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania American Water. That $3.2 million project would have added water main lines through parts of Prospect up to the South Shore of the state park.

DCNR would contribute $800,000 and Pennsylvania American would fund $2.4 million for the project.

Pennsylvania American asked council to pass an ordinance mandating that 205 properties tap into the lines and become customers of Pennsylvania American.

On Monday, council only voted to publicly advertise the ordinance. But the vote was defeated 4-3.

Council members Glen Gitzen, Eric Hilliard, Chad Green and Bob Boice voted against advertising while Mary Hamon, Bill Marciniak and Sam Wagner voted to advertise.

Before the vote, Marciniak stressed that voting to advertise was not in support of the ordinance, but only to allow residents to view the ordinance and to continue discussions.

Former council member Nick Vaccarello asked Marciniak and those council members covered by the ordinance to abstain from voting. Other council members who own property in the affected area are Wagner and Green.

Wagner, who did a door-to-door survey to ask the affected residents if they were for or against the ordinance, said that the survey results were roughly 52 percent against the ordinance and 48 percent for.

For resident Jared Kline, the project should not become a burden for residents.

“As a personal opinion of mine, it should not be a mandate for us to pay for a water line to come through and end at a finished point (state park) that wants its,” he told council before the vote.

“If the finished point wants it, let them pay for it. Let anyone who taps in pay for what they want and not mandate it upon the citizens that voted everybody in (council).”

He added, “You’re looking out for people trying to force this upon us. It should be on a ballot. We the citizens should have opportunity to vote, levy or refuse this mandated water problem.”

Resident Ted Davis said Pennsylvania American is a monopoly.

“American Water is the only one who has a monopoly on water,” he said. “They have no competition other than well water. I don’t understand why Pennsylvania American Water demands this to be done.”

Resident Greg Schiller favors public water and said it would be a benefit to others in the borough.

“My concern is that there is the possibility that we are going to have additional wells go bad,” he said.

“Right now, we are 10 percent down on our rainfall in the last six months. The average snowfall in Butler in a given year is 39 inches. We had 16 this year.

“So without that snow pack, you’re going to see some water problems coming,” he said.

“So I’m in favor of it because I like the idea of paying for this insurance policy so I’m not laying out five to $10,000 for a new well, which is what it’s going to run people.”

Vaccarello pointed out that some residents on fixed incomes might not be able to pay the estimated $55 water bill each month.

“I don’t know how people here have gone to the homes of senior citizens who are retired on this route,” he said. “So I stopped at one and asked the three people living there, ‘Do you have the money to spend another $55 a month? Do you have the money to put a water line in?’

“They said if one of them dies, they don’t have the money to stay there, live in this town, let alone incur two more bills.”

Jim Reich, owner of Prospect Pizza, is unaffected by the proposed water line but said he has been talking about the project with customers.

“You don’t have the support you think you have,” he said. “I talk to everybody in this town, and if they’re for it, they don’t eat pizza because most people who come in my store don’t want this. ... I would take the water but not this way.

“There’s no financial gain to my business coming here and speaking out. I’m only here for the will of my people, and I’m here for them.”

Mayor Jim Butler said he is not sure if the ordinance can be reconsidered later.

He also did not know what this means for the state park or for Pennsylvania American.

Pennsylvania American spokesman Gary Lobaugh said in a statement this morning, “While we are disappointed with the outcome of last evening’s vote, we think the best course at this time is to step back and re-evaluate the project’s future and feasibility.”

Park manager Dustin Drew said this morning that park officials will look at options. Past that, he said it is too early to comment further.