ZELIENOPLE — A recycling and composting facility proposed to be built on the site of the former reservoirs for the borough’s water system is all but dead.

Borough council Monday night voted to stop the planning for the recycling and composting facility that was envisioned to be built on borough property just behind the Northgate Plaza in Jackson Township.

It delayed a vote on not accepting a $248,000 state Department of Environmental Protection grant the borough had received for the facility until talking with Wes Hamilton about the grant’s financial requirements.

Hamilton, a borough attorney, had helped spearhead the project. He applied for the grant through the borough and had formed the nonprofit group CHZ to help direct the potential project as the council decided how to reclaim the reservoir site.

CHZ is a group that included community representatives from Cranberry Township, Harmony and Zelienople and was guided by Hamilton.

However, Hamilton resigned from the group several weeks ago, which has added to the confusion about the project.

Borough officials said there are too many liabilities and speculations about the project. Also, borough officials have not been told about the major details of the project that was being driven by CHZ.

Councilwoman Mary Hess said there never was any definite information on the composting and recycling project, only assumptions.

The borough council did leave open the possibility that an environmental and educational project could be done on the site that could include a nature trail, but stipulated that council would make the final decision on it and what project would be done.

For now, the reservoirs will be filled in, which was the borough’s plan from the beginning.

The borough now gets its water from the Beaver Falls Authority.