One of the two sewer projects on Abbey Road has begun. The Gravity Sewer Project has started, while another part of the Wastewater projects, the Sanitary Force Main and Gravity Sewer Improvement Project, has been paused for further review.
The remaining project, the Abbey Road Sanitary Force Main Project originally included the conversion of one of the City’s two Wastewater Treatment Plants into a pumping station. In 2023, Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz said that if the City kept “B” Plant as a treatment plant, it would have cost the City millions of dollars more in repair and updates, as well as the cost of the permit and personnel to keep it operating. That plant was constructed in the 1960’s. “If “B” Plant stops treating the wastewater, the City would no longer have to have someone there 24-7 and would no longer need a permit to operate it. Not only would the proposed plan have an impact on how the City treats wastewater, but it could potentially have an impact on economic development.”
Currently, the City has Wastewater Treatment Plant “A”, located on Royalton Road, which treats mostly the southern section of the city and Wastewater Treatment Plant “B”, located on Sprague Road, which treats most of the northern section. The northeast portion of the City is treated by the Northeast Regional Sewer District. The originally proposed conversion would include the conversion of “B” Plant to a pumping station, the construction of a sewer main from “B” to “A” Plant, which would run down Abbey Road and the addition of two tanks to accommodate wet weather flow at “A” Plant. The main would be part force main and part gravity main.
Last fall, the then-new Wastewater Superintendent, Ed Haller, addressed City Council at a Utilities Committee meeting regarding pausing part of the Abbey Road Sanitary Force Main and Gravity Sewer Improvement Projects. At that time, Haller said he would like to revisit the plan to ensure that it is the most beneficial to the city. Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz stated that “I just want to take a step back to feel comfortable about what we are doing. If the plan needs more evaluation, let’s do that.” Haller explained to Council that during a recent routine inspection from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), they expressed concerns about the “B” plant conversion. He said that we have “concerns about, especially with the high flow under Infiltration and Inflow conditions where we get high flow during rain events. Right now, “A” is struggling to be able to keep up with those flows. A lot of the studies that were done, and they were done well, were done based on daily flows. We just want to make sure that the peak flows are able to be handled. For now, we will continue moving forward with the gravity sewer and the installation of the high flow tank at the “A” plant to handle that additional flow and to handle what flows we currently have coming in, but, for now, we are going to pause the pump station and the conversion of the “B” plant. They know that the enterprise development project along Abbey is very important to us and they are encouraging us to maintain the course on that, so the gravity sewer that we are trying to put in, we are absolutely going to stay on course with. We are also going to be putting in the wet weather basin, the EQ tank that is going to be going in at “A” plant. But, for now, we are going to hold back a little bit on the actual conversion of the “B” plant to a pump station until we have done some more investigation.”
In December, 2024, the Abbey Road Gravity Sewer Project was then able to continue after Council approved legislation to accept the bid of DiGioia Suburban Excavating, LLC, for the construction of the Abbey Road Gravity Sewer Project in an amount not to exceed $3,971,635.36, as the lowest and best bid. Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz said that the bid came in $1 million less than anticipated.
Community Development Director Tom Jordan said that the area that would be impacted by the Abbey Road Gravity Sewer Project consists of about 242 acres, which is primarily zoned General Industry and Research Office. By giving those properties sewer access, it makes them more developable, especially since the widening of Rt. 82 in that area has been completed, giving a straight access to I-71. There are also 27 residential lots on Abbey Road which are currently septic, that would be tied in to the sanitary sewer.
Council is in the process of reviewing an ordinance that was introduced by Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz at the February 4 City Council meeting, that authorizes the Mayor and Wastewater Superintendent to enter into an agreement with AECOM Technical Services, Incorporated for consulting services for an evaluation and capital improvement plan for the Wastewater Plants A and B for a sum not to exceed $519,598.00. The measure was placed on second reading and referred to the Finance Committee for discussion.
When asked when construction of the Abbey Road Gravity Sewer Project is expected to begin, Antoskiewicz said that “we hope to start in late February/early March.” He added that the city was currently waiting on informational specifications. Antoskiewicz said that he hopes to have the project completed in the fall. “It’s pretty exciting.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer