In an effort to save an estimated 18 percent to 20 percent in electricity costs, the fiscally responsible Falls Township Board of Supervisors on Monday authorized an online auction for electricity supply service.
“This is something that is new to us in Falls Township,” Supervisors Chairman Jeff Dence said.
Township Manager John Shepherd said electricity service presents “the biggest opportunity” for cost savings. Multiple electricity providers would “bid against one another in real time,” Shepherd told the board of the online auction.
The length of the electricity service contract would be either 12, 18 or 24 months, Shepherd said.
In other business, the board authorized submission of an $839,700 state grant for the restoration of Martins Creek. If the grant is awarded, Shepherd said work would begin – at the earliest – in fall 2026.
Dence said water from Martins Creek is diverted under Mill Creek Road and the canal. The system was put into place long before Falls Township Community Park was a township park.
“It’s been a problem for years,” Dence said, noting that the design in place contributes to “a lot of the flooding” in the area.
Township Engineer Joseph Jones said upgrades would reduce the pollutant load and the water stagnation problem. As part of the project, Jones said some of Martins Creek would be diverted into the already marshy area across the driveway, where sediment would be removed and piped back in.
“What makes this project attractive is the number of MS4 credits we get,” Jones said.
MS4 permits, or Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems, require public entities and municipalities to control the discharge of pollutants into waterways.
