unexpected T_CONST--Help Please

One of the four web sites I have created with CI has suddenly started getting this error:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_CONST in /home3/billhogs/public_html/ccbridgeclub/system/core/CodeIgniter.php on line 58

I read a thread here in May that suggested reloading the system directory.  The website was running 3.1.3 so I upgraded to 3.1.9 (renamed the 3.1.3 application and system dirs and uploaded 3.1.9 dirs along with the index.php).

I get the same error in the new 3.1.9.  

The php is 7.0.x

Any help will be greatly appreciated and I will report what finally solved the issue.

Thanks in advance.


Bill