Feb 3, 2016 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners expect to vote today to transfer ownership of Murtha Drive at the former Waynesburg Crossing retail development over to Franklin Township.

The commissioners agreed at their agenda meeting Wednesday to consider a motion today to transfer to the township the nearly one-mile four-lane road that provides access to Walmart and connects Route 21 and Rolling Meadows Road.

The road was built in 2006 for the retail development. More than $9 million in state and federal grant money was used to build it and make related improvements to Route 21.

As part of the developer’s agreement with McHolme Waynesburg LLC, the developer of the failed retail complex, the county assumed ownership of the road. McHolme was required to provide money to maintain the road as well as to resurface it when that became necessary. However, a grant McHolme received to cover those costs was withdrawn after McHolme filed for bankruptcy, county chief clerk Jeffrey Marshall said.

The county has continued to be responsible for all road maintenance and snow removal costs.

“We get nothing out of it,” Commissioner Archie Trader said about the county’s ownership of the road.

The township, however, will be able to receive state liquid fuels money for its maintenance, he said. The county receives no liquid fuels money for road maintenance.

The county recently spent about $347,000 in Act 13 impact fee money to make subsurface repairs and drainage improvements to the road.

As part of the agreement with Franklin Township, the county will provide an additional $250,000 it had earmarked for road maintenance for the road’s eventual resurfacing, Marshall said. The county and township have been negotiating the road transfer for about a year.

Franklin Supervisor Reed Kiger said the township agreed to accept the road, though he had not yet seen the final written agreement which was in the hands of the township solicitor.

The road was originally built to the required township specifications. The county also agreed to make needed repairs, which it has done, Kiger said.

“We told them before we take it over it has to be fixed,” he said.

The road will be like any other road the township would accept for such a development, Kiger said. Liquid fuels money the township receives from the state will assist with road maintenance costs, he said.

In other business, the commissioners expect today to enter an agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management for the leasing of county vehicles, an agreement expected to save the county about $140,000 over 10 years.