SUMMIT TWP — Township residents will have an opportunity next Thursday to get a firsthand look at the township's plans to build a sewage system that will serve hundreds of residents and businesses when completed in 2025 at an estimated cost of $16 million.

Maps of the areas where sewage service will be provided and the treatment plant will be on display during a meeting at 7 p.m. July 29 in the Herman Fire Hall at 789 Herman Road.

Members of the township sewer authority, township engineers and representatives of agencies that can help low- and moderate-income residents pay the $6,000 tap-in fee will attend the meeting, said Dave Barry, sewer authority chairman.

“It's going to be a very informative meeting for everybody,” Barry said. “All are welcome.”

The township sent post cards about the meeting to all residents, posted information about the meeting on its website and will advertise it on the marquee outside of the fire station, he said.

The sewage plan calls for sewage line installation along Herman Road from Herman to the treatment plant, which will be built on a 6-acre lot the township bought near the old Franklin ballfield on Herman Road.

A portion of Bonniebrook Road and Brinker Road will be served by a secondary line.

The township is aware that people living in other areas want sewage service, but the service area had to be limited because of cost, Barry said.

In rural areas of the township, there are vast tracts of land with no homes, and running sewer lines through those areas to reach homes would cost too much, he said.

The sewage system will serve 400 equivalent dwelling units. An equivalent dwelling unit, or EDU, is a measure of the sewage service needed to serve a single family home. Some businesses will have more than one EDU, Barry said.

He said the township is using its Community Development Block Grant to provide financial assistance to residents with low and moderate income to pay the tap-in fee. Applications for that assistance are available at the township building.

A representative from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service, which offers low-interest loans for tap-ins, is expected to attend the meeting.

The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) also offers low-interest loans to cover tap-in fees, Barry said.

“We've been working diligently to get different means for people to cope with this expense,” Barry said. “We want to help as much as we can.”

The township is planning to apply to PENNVEST for a grant covering 50% to 60% of the project cost. The tap-in fees are expected to cover the remaining cost, Barry said.

However, the township can't apply for project funding until it obtains all the permits needed to build the system.

“The permit process takes a while,” Barry said. “Being the first time we've ever done this, it's definitely a learning experience.”

Ideally, construction would begin in 2023 and be completed in two years, he said.