Nov 8, 2014 5 min read

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

One final salute

WAYNESBURG – Countless men have walked through the doors of the Capt. Robert C. Wiley Armory in Waynesburg to serve their country, but by early next year, those doors will close a final time when the National Guard unit moves to its new home in Franklin Township.

On Tuesday, veteran Guardsmen and community members gathered at the armory on Washington Street to reminisce and bid the old building farewell. Albie Rinehart, a retired member of the Guard unit, organized the open house.

“I couldn’t let it go without providing it the proper respect for all that it has done for us,” he said.

The 95-year-old building has outlived its usefulness for military purposes so the Army National Guard unit, Company B of the 1st, 110th Infantry Battalion, will move to a new $9.4 million readiness center now under construction at EverGreene Technology Park. The new armory is supposed to be completed by the end of January.

The state will then sell the old armory, and Waynesburg University has expressed strong interest in purchasing the building. University officials said they plan to invest up to $1 million in restoring the building.

“It’s a sad day that we have to leave, but it’s also a happy day that (the Guard unit) will get to move into the new armory,” said John “Buzz” Walters, a longtime member of the Guard unit.

Old bridge in East View

to be closed permanently

WAYNESBURG – A seldom-used, 89-year-old bridge near East View has fallen into disrepair over the years, and the remnants of Hurricane Ivan may have dealt a fatal blow.

Franklin Township supervisors agreed Monday to place barriers around the bridge on Township Road 479, also known as Preachers Road. The bridge will be closed to all traffic.

The span, which crosses Ten Mile Creek, was completely submerged during the Sept. 17 flood. The damage it sustained made the structure unsafe, and the township engineer, Widmer Engineering, recommended its closure.

The township abandoned a portion of the road, which includes the bridge, in the 1950s. It has since acted as a private access road, primarily for two property owners.

Representatives from Throckmorton United Methodist Church use the bridge to access rental property. Any tenants living in the church’s house would use the unpaved road as well, according to Supervisor T. Reed Kiger.

John McNay of Waynesburg also owns land that could be accessed by the Preachers Road bridge.

Supervisors said they encountered some opposition to the bridge’s closure, but since it is a safety concern, they are left with little choice.

SE Greene may

close Mapletown

MAPLETOWN – Southeastern Greene School Board held a public meeting Monday to discuss whether the board should proceed with plans to renovate Mapletown Junior-Senior High School.

The board also addressed the issue of closing the junior-senior high school and paying tuition to other districts to educate the 375 students in grades seven through 12 who now attend school at Mapletown.

About 100 people attended the meeting to question the district’s plans and to offer their opinions.

Some were in favor of the building plan and strongly opposed to sending students to other districts; several asked the building project be decided by referendum; and several others asked the board to further explore other paths such as a merger or the tuition plan.

The board began discussing a renovation project earlier this year after halting a plan to build a new $18 million school to house all grades.

Board members have said the junior-senior high school is badly in need of repairs. The building has antiquated electrical and heating systems and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. An architect’s preliminary report proposed two options. One option calls for repairing the 1923 section of the building at an estimated cost of $2.29 million.

West Greene students

walk out of school

ROGERSVILLE – Between 75 and 100 students at the West Greene Senior-Middle School walked out of classes for one period Nov. 7 in protest of morning hall privileges.

Student representatives met for over an hour with administration personnel to discuss the issue.

School policy dictates that students get off their bus, go to their lockers and/or rest rooms and then report to their home room. Students feel they should be allowed to socialize in the halls prior to the start of classes.

Frank Blount, high school principal, said the policy is being strictly enforced because some lockers have been rifled and damaged in the past. “Things have been stolen from lockers and several locker have been damaged,” he said.

College reveals tuition

hike of $250 per year

Waynesburg College announced an increase of $250 per year in tuition and activity charges, effective in the 1970-71 academic year. Room and board fees will remain the same. This action was taken at the Nov. 5 meeting of the College Board of Trustees.

Rising costs for all services were cited as the reason for the increase. Total cost of tuition, board, room and fees for the 1970-71 academic years will be $2,650, or $1,325 per semester.

The action by the trustees keeps Waynesburg College in approximately the middle position among independent colleges in Pennsylvania with regard to total fees.