Sep 9, 2013 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Work is expected to begin this week on the replacement of the railroad underpass and the bridge over Ten Mile Creek on Route 19/21 in Morrisville, but another highway improvement project could also impact traffic on the road beginning in the spring.

Waynesburg Borough manager Mike Simms told council Monday that the state Department of Transportation is expected to bid a project in March to replace the bridge on High Street, Route 19/21, over Jackson Run.

While the state replaces the bridge, the borough will proceed with a project to replace the culvert on Jackson Run on both sides of High Street, which is in the vicinity of the lot east of Fox Ford.

To replace the culvert on both sides of the road, the borough had received a $770,000 grant from the state several years ago. Greene County, at that time, also agreed to contribute about $900,000 from a state Growing Greener grant to the project.

At a recent meeting with PennDOT officials, Simms said, it was indicated that work on the Jackson Run bridge would be completed between March and November of next year. The replacement of the railroad underpass and bridge is not expected to be completed until July 2016.

In other business, council voted to hire Brian Cumberledge of Waynesburg for the new position of street foreman/assistant borough manager at a starting salary of $42,000.

Cumberledge will run the street department and also serve as code enforcement officer, Simms said. The borough had advertised the position and received four applicants. Two of the applicants had withdrawn their requests to be considered for the post.

Council also voted to advertise for two part-time parking enforcement officers. Each will work 20 hours a week and be paid $9 an hour. They will begin work Nov. 1.

The hiring of two parking enforcement officers should provide better coverage of the borough in regard to parking enforcement, Mayor Duncan Berryman said.

The two current parking enforcement officers now have other duties. Athena Bowman is the borough’s administrative assistant and Kresta Porter is the police secretary. In addition, Berryman said, Bowman has a foot injury that prevents her from doing the job and Porter is expected to soon take a medical leave of absence.

The $2 an hour adjustment that was made in Porter’s and Bowman’s wages when they accepted the parking officers’ duties will be eliminated.

Dan Haught of Fayette Engineering told council he expects to have preliminary design plans for the borough’s sewage project ready in November.

The borough is required by the state to separate its storm sewers from its sanitary sewers and make repairs to prevent surface water from infiltrating the sewage system. The borough is required to make the changes in its sewer system, a project estimated to cost $4 million, by the end of 2015.

Simms also reported the borough would hold a public hearing on possible uses for its 2014 Community Development Block Grant at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the borough building. The borough does not yet know how much it will receive in CDBG money next year, Simms said.