Lansford Borough Council last week denied an easement to move a sewer line replacement project forward and voted to redesign the project, which had already been awarded to a Bucks County contractor.

Council voted down an easement across property owned by former councilman John Turcmanovich for consideration of $1 and a future sewer line hookup on a 4-3 vote.

Council then voted 5-2 to redesign the project, eliminating the need to go through any yards and go down the street instead.

The Powell Street sewer replacement project began in 2019 with Lehigh Engineering, the borough engineer at the time, drawing up three potential routes for the new line, Council President Bruce Markovich said Friday.

At the time, council had decided to go with the least expensive option, which involved the line running down Ridge Street, through the yard at 400 E. Snyder St., where depressions were found in the yard due to the sewer line breaks.

Additional breaks were found on the Turcmanovich property, where the line would continue before connecting to a borough sewer main in a wooded area.

The borough paid $5,000 for the easement through the yard and awarded a contract to a local firm, which later withdrew from the project when it was shut down due to the pandemic.

When the project was revived in 2023, ARRO Engineering, the current borough engineer, updated the plans drawn up by the Lehigh firm, continuing with the original path through the yard where the easement was granted, he said.

Council rebid the project this year and awarded a $211,690 contract for the work to Doli Construction of Chalfont and work began in October, Markovich said.

Council’s actions on Wednesday halt the project for a redesign. Markovich, who voted against the redesign, pointed out that the move will increase the cost of the project by at least $80,000.

Councilman Joseph Butrie said that he would rather see the sewer line go down a street, rather than through someone’s property. Running a line through the street also allows people to build on their property, he said.

Markovich asked if Butrie was OK with the project going from $220,000 to $300,000, and Burtie replied that he was OK with that. The borough would take the additional money out of the sewer transmission fund, which was funding the project, Butrie said.

Markovich reminded him that they had already spent the money on an easement through the original property, and Butrie said that they have never done that and he had been against it.

Resident Joe Genits, who will be joining council in January, asked if street repairs would be included in the cost, and Markovich said that they cannot use state Liquid Fuels for this type of road repair, and the borough would have to fund it from its own coffers.

Butrie said they do plan on repaving the street after the project is completed.

On Friday, Markovich said council’s move may now put the borough into a breach of contract with Doli Construction. He is awaiting final bills from the firm to end the contract, he said.

The borough has already spent $47,901 on the project through Sept. 14, including more than $16,000 in engineering fees from both Lehigh and ARRO, $5,000 on the original easement, $900 in advertising and legal costs, and $25,000 in design costs, he said.

The design costs were funded by $25,000 in COVID funding, which may now have to be repaid since the plans were scrapped, Markovich said.

Markovich said he hopes to have the outstanding bills from Doli and ARRO early next week.