Mar 11, 2013 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough will see some changes in key personnel this summer with the resignation of borough manager Bruce Wermlinger and the retirement of longtime police Chief Timothy Hawfield.

Council voted Monday to approve an advertisement soliciting applicants to replace Wermlinger. But talk also has been circulating that Hawfield has been planning to retire.

Hawfield confirmed those plans following Monday’s council meeting, saying he had informed council last month he is retiring from the borough in July.

“It’s time,” said Hawfield, who has been the borough’s police chief for the last 34 years. “I’ve been extremely fortunate to have a job I really like, not all aspects of it, but certainly the majority of it,” he said.

Hawfield said he will be 65 years old in July and has become concerned that when he responds to a call at his age, not only might his own well-being be on the line, but also possibly that of other officers.

Hawfield said he hopes to enjoy his retirement. When asked what he plans to do, he quipped, “I have neglected a lot of work around the house, that’s for sure.”

Wermlinger plans to work until sometime this summer, though he has given no specific date for leaving.

Wermlinger has had two stints as borough manager. He first held the position for five years from 1998 to 2003, when he resigned. He later was hired again to fill the post in April 2009. Wermlinger said he is leaving because he and his wife will be moving to North Carolina.

The advertisement for his replacement will be run this month. Resumes will be accepted until April 17. The advertisement notes that candidates should have a wide range of knowledge covering duties including financial management, public works, wastewater management, code enforcements, grant writing and administration.

Because the borough has such a small workforce, the new borough manager will have to be ready to fill in when, say, a street worker calls off and roads need to be plowed or a sewer line needs to be repaired, he said.

Wermlinger said he expects to be around to work with his replacement and bring the person up to speed on borough operations.

In other business, council agreed to proceed with a $1.7 million project to replace the culvert on Jackson Run on both sides of High Street.

The borough received a $770,000 state grant for the project. The county also is contributing about $900,000, money it received several years ago from a Growing Greener grant.

The existing culvert is in poor condition and in parts is formed by old corrugated metal pipe and gas tanks from old service stations of which the ends have been removed.

The area occasionally floods. Wermlinger said the culverts may help reduce some flooding but probably not in cases of extremely heavy rains because of the size of the Jackson Run watershed.

The project has been discussed for several years and part of the hold up has been dealing with the state Department of Transportation’s plans for replacing the bridge that takes Jackson Run under High Street.

PennDOT has talked about replacing the bridge; however, the borough has been unable to coordinate its project with PennDOT’s. Engineer Mike Dufalla said if the borough and PennDOT coordinated their projects it might make it easier to create a better alignment for the bridge.

Wermlinger said the borough will only be replacing the culvert on both sides of the bridge. He also said it must act now because the grant it received will expire in June. Councilman Miles Davin said he hoped the borough’s action will spur PennDOT to move ahead more quickly with its bridge replacement project.

Council took no action regarding the leasing or buying of flow meters for tests needed on the borough’s proposed $4 million sewage project and will wait until it reviews a new contract with its engineer, Fayette Engineering, at a March 25 workshop meeting.