Although they are pessimistic about the result, Saxonburg officials were correct in seeking additional funding from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PennVest) for its $52.5 million sewage treatment expansion project.

There would be no possibility for additional money from the state agency without an application.

Officials opted for the additional request to PennVest as a result of bids for the project coming in nearly $8 million higher than the $44.7 million estimate.

PennVest already has approved a $25 million loan for the project - $5 million more than PennVest's typical $20 million maximum allocation - so that's why officials are not optimistic about receiving more money.

However, the state looks favorably on projects involving several municipalities and, from that vantage point, the project qualifies, since the project also involves Middlesex and Penn townships.

But the viewpoint of Paul Cornetti, engineer for the Saxonburg Area Authority, cannot be ignored.

"PennVest could say, 'We can't set this precedent,' " he said.

Still, officials involved with the project were correct in opting for the additional application. There is no guarantee at this point that PennVest will say "yes," but there also is no guarantee that it will say "no."