The Manorhaven Board of Trustees authorized the issuance of $950,000 in bonds late last month for needed improvements to the village’s aging sewer system.
A bond in the amount of $250,000 will be used to prepare preliminary plans and specifications for the proposed improvements. Another $700,000 bond is to be used for the construction and installation of improvements to the sewer lines on Manorhaven Boulevard and Inwood Road.
The project is expected to include about 4,400 linear feet of pipe lining along both roads and the rehabilitation of two manholes on Manorhaven Boulevard. Neither will disturb surrounding land or require opening the road.
Trustee John Popeleski said that the village is currently having Earth Repair LLC, a sewer cleaning company based in Deer Park, clean and inspect all of the village’s sewer pipes.
He said the goal is to find any issues that need to be fixed before Manorhaven Boulevard is repaved in order to prevent the road from being ripped up again for utility work shortly after it has been paved.
“At the end of the day, we are saving taxpayers money,” the Manorhaven trustee said.
Popeleski said the rehabilitation of Manorhaven Boulevard and Inwood Road comprise phase one of the village’s sewer project and is currently out for bid.
He expects the contract to be awarded by the end of October, he said, and for the approximately two-week project to begin in November or December.
He said the major problems with the village’s sewer systems are grease and tree roots. Older tree roots get into the sewer mains in search of water and get in between the joints of the pipes, Popeleski said.
After Earth Repair finishes inspecting the village’s sewer pipes, Cameron Engineering will review Earth Repair’s report and begin devising an action plan, Popeleski said.
Trustees also approved Cameron Engineering’s $15,880 proposal last month to assess the village’s sewer pump station, its capacity and to provide an engineering report with suggested improvements.
Popeleski described the pump station report as one that will look ahead to determine how best to improve the village’s pump station to meet the needs of Manorhaven in the future.
He said all of this work is being done in anticipation of replacing Manorhaven’s force main, a pressurized sewer pipe that transport wastewater where flow driven by gravity is not possible, but village officials plan to keep its current force main as a backup.
Popeleski said the village is always exploring grants for the village’s sewer system and is working to obtain a grant to help pay for the force main.
“Everybody wants to see the pretty street lights up, something painted, but if you don’t maintain the infrastructure, it’s meaningless,” he said.
