Customers craving Dilly Bars and Blizzards at a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill planned on the Steelton border will have to wait.

In fact, franchise owner Dharmesh Makwana said the restaurant may not open as he battles a sewer issue involving three municipalities.

"Because of political drama, this area is not progressing, and it's not because of investment. The townships are not helping," he said.

On Thursday, a sign in front of his Dairy Queen read, "Firing 30 employees because no sewer connection." This week, he said he was forced to fire 30 people he hired.

Two years ago, he purchased the Dairy Queen, which closed in November 2015 after 50 years in business. He demolished the restaurant and built a larger format with a sit-down dining area.

He had hoped to be open by now. Instead, Makwana said, he's feeling helpless.

He said the problems started when he had to replace the restaurant's septic system with a sewer line. The upgrade was necessary because the restaurant added seating.

"My volume is so big I can't be on septic. It won't handle it," he said.

The restaurant's address along South Cameron Street puts the business in a no-man's zone. It's located in Swatara Township and on the Harrisburg line. The water line is connected to Steelton.

He said Swatara Township told him it's not worth the investment to install sewer lines near the restaurant. Meanwhile, Steelton, he said, told him the business doesn't fall within its jurisdiction.

At a loss, Makwana said he spent $25,000 to install a private two-inch sewer connector line. Now, Makwana said, Capital Region Water in Harrisburg won't allow him to hook into its sewer system because the business is located in Swatara Township.

"His property is in Swatara Township, so he has been referred to them. We cannot process sewer connection requests outside of the City of Harrisburg," said Andrew Bliss, community outreach coordinator for Capital Region Water.

Swatara Township Sewer Authority's Gerry Miller said there are no sewer lines that can service the Dairy Queen.

"We told him 100 times he needs to work with Steelton. He just doesn't want to pay to dig the line to connect," Miller said.

Makwana emphasized that Swatara Township and Steelton have been cooperative.

Steelton borough manager Doug Brown said they have been working with Makwana since the beginning to facilitate a connection to their system. However, Brown said that to his knowledge, Makwana has not "gotten cooperation or permission from the owners of the neighboring properties to run the line through their properties to our main at Gibson Street."

He added that Steelton assisted in obtaining a highway occupancy permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for Makwana to run a line down Route 230 in the right of way and connect to the Gibson Street manhole.

"We have cooperated and given him an avenue to connect to our system from the beginning. It is his decision as a business owner how he wants to accomplish this, and if he is willing to pay for construction of his sewer line," Brown said.

Makwana said he was unable to get permission from neighboring businesses, and the price to hook into the Steelton system would have cost $400,000.

At the end of the day, Makwana said the restaurant's opening is on hold. The message on the restaurant's sign was one way he said he could share the news with the community.

"I want to hire the people in the community. They should be knowing what is happening. It is a real reason to lose a job. It's about the community. I'm telling people it's about them," he said.

"Everyone says invest in the United States. Here a local guy is investing $1.3 million, and nobody is supporting him," he added.