Nov 2, 2013 7 min read

A look at some of the headlines gracing the pages of the Observer-Reporter and Waynesburg Republican this week in Greene County history

Commission gives conditional final approval for Dunkard Twp. substation

WAYNESBURG – Greene County Planning Commission granted conditional final approval Monday for plans by the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co. (TrAILCo) to build an electric substation in Dunkard Township.

The commission reviewed plans for the substation, known as the 502 junction, at two previous meetings and had asked the company to submit additional information.

A detailed plan was presented Monday for the substation itself as well as for construction of 1.2 miles of 500-kilovolt line from the substation south to the West Virginia border and for the relocation of three existing 500-kilovolt lines.

Ryan Townsend of Kenny Construction Co., the company’s general contractor, explained the need for the substation.

Three existing 500-kilovolt lines now cross near the site and are connected in a way that if one line goes down, the other two also go down, he said. The substation will allow two lines to continue providing power if a third goes down, he said.

The unmanned substation will be built on 430 acres between Creek Hill and Bald Hill roads. The substation will be included in a 14-acre, fenced-in area.Three accessory buildings will be constructed at the site.

The plans also show the location of 16 towers that will be built for the new line and the three relocated lines. The existing lines will be relocated for the most part within the company’s property, Townsend said.

Townsend also spoke of permits the company had to obtain from various governmental agencies to begin the project. Plan approval also is needed from the state Public Utility Commission.

The planning commission granted final approval with three conditions: that the company construct only what is included in the plan, that it have proper permit approvals for earth moving before beginning work and that it agree to reimburse the commission for review costs.

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Ceremony initiates readiness center

WAYNESBURG – A ceremonial groundbreaking in EverGreene Technology Park marked the end of all the planning and the beginning of construction of a new Pennsylvania National Guard readiness center.

The new center will cost approximately $9.4 million and will be built on 18 acres in the industrial park. Construction is expected to begin later this month and take approximately one year to complete.

It will be built with the federal government picking up 75 percent of the cost and the state 25 percent. The state Department of General Services purchased the 18.183 acres of land for the new center from Greene County Industrial Development Inc. for $290,000.

Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, adjutant general of Pennsylvania, said the readiness center will house 140 soldiers from Company B of the 1/110th Infantry Battalion.

“Presently, the company is split between the Waynesburg and Canonsburg locations, and this project will allow for all company members to be under one roof.”

The new facility will replace the Capt. Robert C. Wiley Armory in Waynesburg, which was built in 1914 and, according to National Guard officials, has outlived its usefulness.

Grant application calls for big plans for coal refuse piles

Fayette County Conservation District (FCCD), in cooperation with Wellington Development and Mather Recovery Systems, submitted a grant application to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s “Pennsylvania Energy Harvest” Grant Program.

This grant application asks for funding to identify existing coal refuse piles in Fayette County and rank the piles according to energy content, environmental hazard, safety hazard and economic benefit.

Through the completion of the proposed project, the FCCD hopes to identify those piles most viable for use in a new co-generation plant to be built by Wellington Development as well as to identify those piles which pose the greatest environmental and safety hazards. Piles not viable for use at the planned Greene Energy Plant will then be ranked for future reclamation efforts.

Greene Energy Plant, a 525-megawatt, coal mining waste fueled resource recovery plant, is slated to be built at the former LTV Nemacolin Mine site in Greene County. While this plant is located across the Monongahela River from Fayette County, it plans to renovate the former mine site’s barge facilities and renew the required permit to accommodate transport of refuse pile materials to the facility by river barge.

By identifying and ranking coal refuse dumps, the FCCD will be taking the first step for the eventual removal and reclamation of Fayette County coal refuse piles.

In addition to Wellington Development, WVDT-LLC and Mather Recovery Systems LLC, the FCCD is partnering with Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Watershed Assistance Center on the proposed project.

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New home for animals nears completions

WAYNESBURG – Greene County’s stray dogs and cats should have a new home by February, a representative from Greene County Humane Society told commissioners Wednesday.

County leaders are expected to approve the necessary paperwork for a 860-foot water line extension at the regular meeting today. The line will provide water to the new humane society shelter on Jefferson Road behind the county fairgrounds.

Workers have already poured concrete for the footers and are laying block for the building’s foundation. Craig Wise, member of the humane society’s board, said he expects the rough structure of the building to be finished in the next few weeks. Crews will then labor on the inside of the building through the winter.

The society moved its shelter to temporary quarters two years ago after its former building on Route 19 South was heavily damaged by mine subsidence. The old structure is currently being dismantled.

The group wanted to start the construction project sooner, but plans were delayed by the discovery of a mine void beneath the building site and later by the state Department of Transportation’s plan to realign Route 188 in front of the property as part of a bridge replacement project.

The planned 4,000 square foot building is much larger than the old building, which had only 2,400 square feet of space. The heating and ventilation systems also will be improved.

The society is building its new shelter partly with proceeds of a settlement agreement it reached with RAG Emerald Resources LP, which had mined beneath the society’s old shelter in January 2001. However, the group still needs donations to cover the rest of the construction costs. To do so, call the shelter at 724-627-9988.

Raiders clinch first playoff spot in 30 years

ELLSWORTH – When the members of the 1988 Waynesburg High School football team gather with their classmates in the years ahead for class reunion, this night will quickly come back to life. It was the chilly night in late October when the Raiders finally ended 30 years of football frustration.

Waynesburg clinched at least a share of its first Century Conference championship and clinched a berth in the upcoming WPIAL Class AA playoffs for the first time since 1958 here Friday night by defeating Bentworth 21-15 before an overflow crowd.

While the performance by the Raiders, now 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the conference, will be magnified to legendary proportions when these kids gather down the road, the heart-tugging celebration at midfield may never be forgotten. Not by the players, their young coaching staff and the large following of Greene County residents who have endured the lean times and are enjoying these glory days.

Ceremony marks opening of 79

Traffic began moving over Interstate 79 for its entire length between Washington and Waynesburg Friday following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Washington-Greene County line.

State Highways Secretary Robert G. Bartlett was among more than 100 persons on hand when William Loar, president of the Greater Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor Charles E. Mayer, of Washington, cut red velvet ribbons, which had been stretched across both lanes of the four-lane limited access highway.

Interstate 79 had been open from Washington south to the Ten Mile interchange for some time, and also had been open from Ruff Creek to Waynesburg, but the three sections between these two points had remained closed pending completion of Section Three.

Bartlett said 37 miles of Interstate 79 are now in use and another 64 miles are under construction. He said the goal is to have most of the 36 miles still in the drawing board under construction by the end of 1969, including sections south from Waynesburg to the West Virginia line, where it will tie into sections now being built to Fairmont.