Jul 13, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough Council awarded a contract Monday for this summer’s street paving program and announced a public meeting will be held later this month on the revision of the borough’s comprehensive plan.

The borough will pave portions of three streets, First Avenue, from West to Morris streets, Cumberland Street, from High to Greene streets, and Franklin Street, from Morris to Morgan streets.

The borough received four bids for the project and awarded the contract to the low bidder, El Grande Construction of Monessen, which submitted a bid of $129,141.

El Grande also was the contractor on the borough’s last summer paving project, which was completed two years ago.

This year, the borough selected the streets to be paved with the assistance of the state Department of Transportation. Borough manager Mike Simms said he and a PennDOT representative drove around the borough and chose three streets most in need of repair.

Simms was asked to coordinate the paving project with local utilities to make sure no utility planned to excavate the streets immediately after they are paved and to avoid paving over utility shutoffs.

Simms reported the next meeting of the steering committee for the revision of the comprehensive plan will be July 27. The committee will meet at 6 p.m. and hold the public meeting at 7 p.m.

The committee is seeking input on development of the new comprehensive plan and will answer any questions residents may have about the process, Simms said.

The committee is working to revise a plan that was last reviewed sometime in the mid-1960s. The work is being conducted by the borough in partnership with the county and Waynesburg University.

In other business, council voted to purchase a 2000 Ford Expedition for use by the borough police department’s commercial vehicle enforcement operations.

The borough will purchase the vehicle, which has about 31,000 miles on it, from the Waynesburg-Franklin Volunteer Fire Department. Council agreed to allow the expenditure of an additional $5,000 for equipment to get the vehicle ready for the borough’s use.

Two borough officers, Shawn Wood and Marcus Simms, recently became certified to enforce the motor vehicle code in regard to trucks and other commercial vehicles. Council voted last month to purchase truck scales for $9,350 for enforcement activities.

Council voted to grant Simms and assistant manager Bryan Cumberledge raises of $3,000 retroactive to Jan. 1.

Councilman Mike Fischer explained the two hadn’t received raises in two years, a fact that only became know when the borough solicitor was preparing their contracts.

Borough solicitor Pat Fitch reported he is preparing an ordinance under which the Central Greene School District will employ a borough police officer to work at the Margaret Bell Miller Middle School.

The borough and district have been discussing the possibility of employing a borough police officer in the school, a position that will be funded by the district.