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TROY — Troy Borough Council voted to purchase a replacement grit system for the treatment plant at their February meeting.
“We are purchasing from the same company as original design so that the new equipment will align with what is currently there and still operational,” said borough manager Dan Close.
There is a 90-day window on the agreement with the company, Smith and Loveless, out of Kansas, which started Jan. 18.
Close said that Grit is non-putrescible and possesses a higher hydraulic subsidence value than organic solids. Grit may consist of glass, plastic, rubber, plasterboard, ceramics, bricks, concrete, metal, cinders, sand and other such substances.
The specific chamber that the council is looking at, the sewage is fed in the tangential direction to induce a vortex-type flow, according to Close.
“It will funnel the grit towards the center, and hence be drawn down at the bottom chamber. An agitator is used to keep the grit in suspension. Due to the vortex type of flow, the grit which has a heavier specific gravity of 2.4 to 2.65 settles down which is later drained onto a grit filter bed by a pump. We will incorporate an auger to move the grit to a dumpster for removal to the landfill.”
“Grit moving through pipes and pumps at high velocity can be similar to “Sand Blasting” the inside and cause a shorter life span than originally designed. Grit also settles in tanks and can cause clogging of valves and also result in the reduction of tank capacity,” said Close, explaining the purpose of the system.
Close says he plans to meet with the engineer on the system next week.
Council voted unanimously to go ahead and purchase the system for about $100,690. They noted that the township might help with financials.
Councilman John Davis asked about a rental property ordinance, stating that he believes most of the rental properties in the borough are “below presentable standards.”
“I want our community to be more presentable,” said Davis, noting that if council purchases new lights and fixes sidewalks, that it wouldn’t matter if properties aren’t up to presentable standards.
Police Report
Police Chief Ralph Dooley noted that he is currently hosting two high school students, one in the morning and one in the afternoon for job shadowing.
For January, Dooley reported 15 traffic citations, 28 traffic warnings, two criminal arrests and two non-traffic citations issued.
There was a total of 64 calls of service, which included harassment, fraud, theft and more. Fifty-four incidents required an officer response. These include vehicle crashes. Troy Borough Police continues to be on-call when an officer is not on duty. State police will continue to provide coverage when an officer is not available for emergency situations when an officer is not on duty.
Other news
Close reported that two leaks were identified in the borough. One leak is due to a fire hydrant at the school, which is losing 12,000 gallons a day. The other leak is located on Exchange Street and is losing 15,000 gallons a day.
“The hydrant replacement and line repair at the school will probably happen early spring. This is one we will want to coordinate with the school,” said Close. He also stated he does not currently have a date for the Exchange Street Leak, as it will depend on weather most likely.
Council discussed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the Department of Environmental Protection. The permit establishes the discharge requirements for publicly owned treatment works and protects the receiving waters of the Commonwealth. The council’s permit is 500,000 gallons a day.
The next Troy Borough Council meeting will be Thursday, March 25, at 3:30 p.m.