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MILROY — Calling it “a new chapter in Mifflin County water history,” Mifflin County Municipal Authority Executive Director Craig Bubb said the new headquarters in Milroy will enable the agency to provide water services to residents in the county for another half century.

“Do you think of the old train station or the old grocery store or the old Green Stamp Store, when you think of 70 Chestnut St. in Lewistown?” said Bubb of the authority’s old office address.

“This address has been the home to all the businesses mentioned as well as the home to the Mifflin County Municipal Authority (MCMA), formerly known as the Municipal Authority of the Borough of Lewistown, since 1968,” Bubb added. “MCMA has served the community from this facility and has steadily provided water system growth to Mifflin County for over 50 years.”

Currently, the MCMA now serves more than 12,700 customers and nearly 30,000 Mifflin County residents.

The Lewistown office building, surrounding garage and maintenance yard needed many upgrades and improvements as well as improved security and information technology additions.

“Options to renovate, relocate or possibly even build a new headquarters – on authority owned land – were considered,” Bubb explained. “An engineering feasibility and design study was approved by the board of directors in February 2023 to consider plans to build a new administrative office building and a maintenance garage on the authority property along Old Route 322 in Armagh Township.”

“Currently, one of our production wells is located on this 27-acre tract of land,” Bubb added. “The Board approved the findings of the study and gave the go ahead in early 2024 to solicit construction bids for the project. Bids were then received and awarded in June 2024 with a one-year contract to five prime contractors to construct the new buildings.”

The engineering firms for the study and design were Herbert, Rowland and Grubic Inc., of State College, and SGS Architects Engineers Inc., of Carlisle.

Bubb said the $4.4 million project was funded primarily with proceeds from the 2021 bond issue, secured by MCMA following the settlement with Lewistown Borough.

The new administrative office building will house the MCMA staff, distribution crew and customer service employees. The board room has been expanded so that public meetings can once again be held on site.

The maintenance garage now provides covered storage for all MCMA equipment and inventory. The entire site also has a state-of-the-art IT, fire and security system.

“By relocating and building on property already owned by MCMA, all water resources, water treatment, distribution and customer service operations will be centralized,” Bubb said.

Bubb wanted to recognize members of the committee that helped immensely in the planning, site layout, design and final build-out of the new headquarters: Deanna Hassinger, business manager; Chad Bagrosky, distribution foreman; Darren Rowe, assistant foreman; Cory Bubb, distribution crew leader; Lonnie Griffith, board member for Lewistown Borough; Scott Pecht, board member for Brown Township;

Rick Smeltz, board member for Derry Township; and Barry Bargo, board member for Lewistown Borough.

The new business office, located at 5300 Old Route 322, Milroy, opened to the public on Tuesday, Sept.16, and will have office hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Bubb said only check and credit card payments will be accepted. The MCMA Customer Portal is available at any time to make payments.

Additionally, the authority has also discontinued offering drive-thru transaction service and has gone cashless. Cash payments can be made at the Juniata Valley Bank branch locations in Lewistown, Burnham and Reedsville.

Visit www.mifflincountyh2o.com for more information.