Nov 11, 2014 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough Council awarded a contract late last month to begin construction on the first phase of the Jackson Run project, but finding the money for the second phase now might be a problem.

Borough manager Mike Simms told council Monday a $400,000 state grant Greene County applied for on behalf of the borough for the project was denied. The grant application was made through the Community Finance Authority’s flood mitigation program.

The Jackson Run project will involve replacing the bridge carrying High Street over Jackson Run, work that will be done by the state Department of Transportation, and the installation of culverts on both sides of the road, which the borough is to complete with state grant funding.

The contract for the first phase, replacing about 300 feet of culvert on the south side of the road, was awarded last month to Allison Park Contractor Inc., which submitted a low bid of $1,209,000.

Simms reported work on that phase is expected to begin by the end of the month. The county, meanwhile, is seeking additional grant money for the second phase, which involves replacement of about 160 feet of culvert on the north side of the road, he said.

Councilman Mark Fischer expressed frustration with the situation, saying flooding in the area affects a major transportation corridor and there should be a way the state can come up with a solution.

The project will lead to a disruption of traffic on the road and completing it in phases will only drag it out, he said. PennDOT should be able come up with the money, given the increase in funding for highway projects now available as a result of the state transportation bill adopted last November.

Fischer suggested calling state and local legislators regarding the matter. “We need to get this fixed and move on,” he said.

The borough has so far received about $1.67 million for the project, including $770,000 which it was awarded from the state’s H2O grant program and $900,000, which represents money contributed by the county from a 2009 state Growing Greener grant.

It was believed that would cover the costs, however, additional work was needed to construct extra shoring requested by property owners on the north side of the road so the work would not impact the use of the land.

In other business, Simms reported that he had contacted the Norfolk Southern railroad about possibly replacing a small deteriorated bridge on the road leading to Meadowlark Park and the borough sewage plant.

The bridge is on railroad property; however, Simms said, the lease the borough signed for the property in 1937 requires the borough to take care of all repairs to the bridge.

Simms was asked to contact the railroad to see if another access route to the sewage plant could be developed crossing the railroad tracks north of the bridge that would be used by the borough only in emergencies.

Dave Mirkovich, executive director of the Greene County Redevelopment Authority, gave council an update on plans to rehabilitate the former Waynesburg Floral building.

Mirkovich had received a grant that included money to repair the building’s damaged roof to prevent further deterioration and put it in a condition at which it possibly could be sold or developed.

The owner of the building agreed to give the building to the authority; however, it subsequently was learned there are a number of judgments against the property that prevented the authority from accepting the deed, Mirkovich said.

Mirkovich said he had hoped to purchase the property at a judicial sale, in the process of which all liens and judgments against it would be removed; however, the county has not had a judicial sale for several years.

The authority proposed creating a “conservatorship” under the state law that would allow it to ask the court for permission to bring the property into compliance with building codes.

The granting of the conservatorship would not automatically absolve the owner of its responsibility for liens or judgments, he said. That could, however, be requested from the court if needed to further the development of the building, he said.

Council members were in favor of the approach, though it was noted a judicial sale might be held by the county in January.

Attorney Dave Pollock, who attended the meeting, said an attorney in his office, Rachel A. Wheeler, who was appointed solicitor for the county’s Tax Claim Bureau in July, is now completing the work and hopes to hold a sale in January.

Council also voted to pay $28,500 to Markosky Engineering to have it complete design work for replacing sidewalks on the north side of Lincoln Street. Sidewalks on the south side had been replaced through a state grant and money from the borough’s Community Development Block Grant.

Replacement of the sidewalks on the north side of the road would be completed with the borough’s CDBG money, which must be used for projects that benefit low and moderate income residents.