WELLSBURG - Brooke County Public Service District officials said, at their Oct. 14 meeting, customers who had been left out of the first phase of the Mahan Lane-Eldersville Road-Bruin Drive sewer project still have a chance of being included and heard again from Follansbee officials hoping to serve the project area.

Lilian Fickulac of Eldersville Road told the board she's frustrated that she and others who petitioned local and federal officials for public sewage treatment won't be included in the project's first phase.

The phase will involve extending sewer lines to 450 homes on Mahan Lane, Eldersville Road from Mahan Lane to Cook's Hill and to several adjacent lanes and Cross Creek Road.

U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-Fairmont, secured $9.8 million in federal funds for the project in 2001.

PSD officials said earlier that revenue generated by the larger number of homes on Eldersville Road west of Mahan Lane would help to fund, with grants and loans, sewer lines to 550 homes on Eldersville Road from Mahan Lane to St. John's Road, a portion of St. John's Road and in the community of Louise.

But Fickulac expressed doubt the district will be able to secure the additional funds.

The district has applied unsuccessfully for $1.3 million from the West Virginia Infrastructure Council but plans to apply again.

Terry Bonaventura, the board's chairman, told Fickulac, "If there's no money for Phase 2, we'll move you into Phase 1."

Board member Archie Doll explained the board has decided, when it seeks bids from contractors for the first phase, to seek an alternate bid for lines to some homes in the second phase.

He didn't know how many homes or what geographical areas would be included in the alternate bid, which could be rejected by the board if it's too high.

Following the meeting, Doll said engineers for the project indicated bids for the project may come in lower than expected, based on their experience elsewhere in the state.

He said the difference and contingency funds budgeted for the project might be applied to the additional homes.

Bonaventura said the board still is hopeful both phases can be done around the same time.

The board also heard from Follansbee City Attorney Michael Gaudio, who said he's not received the engineer's estimates for extending sewer lines from the project area to Wellsburg.

Gaudio said he's received the designs and bid specifications he'd requested at last week's Brooke County Commission meeting but would like all of the information in a digital format so it can be conveyed easily to Follansbee's engineer.

Bonaventura said he'd had some difficulty reaching the engineer, who was out of the area, but will seek the information.

Gaudio said the city still believes it can serve the project area at less cost to the district and its future customers through its offer of a lower rate and projection of lesser construction costs.

He asked the board to arrange another meeting with the Brooke County Commission, with the city's engineer present, to discuss the project. Bonaventura agreed, saying he also would invite the district's engineers.

Brooke County PSD officials said they turned to Wellsburg to serve the project area when negotiations broke down with Follansbee officials. Follansbee officials said they weren't given a chance to make a better offer before the district entered into a 40-year agreement with Wellsburg.

The project is on hold while the West Virginia Public Service Commission considers a petition by Follansbee stating the future PSD customers shouldn't have to pay for the separation of a combined stormwater and sewer line included in the agreement.

In other business, board member Karen Mezan moved the board meet just once a month. In addition to meeting on the second Wednesday of each month, the board had added another meeting on the fourth Wednesday to discuss the sewer project.

Both are held at 5:30 p.m. at the board's office at 711 Charles St.

But Mezan said, "We don't accomplish anything at the second meetings we can't accomplish at the first. Our customers have paid out $2,100 for nothing."

Mezan referred to $100 paid to each board member for each meeting he or she attends.

Bonaventura and Doll disagreed about the need for a second meeting but agreed not to accept pay for it.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)