Greene County planning commission approves plans for new bank building
WAYNESBURG – Plans to construct a new building adjoining the First Federal Savings and Loan Association’s office on High Street in Waynesburg received final approval Monday by the Greene County Planning Commission.
The bank will construct a 3,500-square-foot, two-story building at the site of the former Allison Building, which was demolished about two and half years ago after being found to be structurally deficient.
A bank official earlier said the bank planned to construct a building that looked as similar as possible to the Allison Building, which was said to be one of the oldest buildings in downtown Waynesburg and was considered the birth place of Rain Day.
The new building will be used by the bank for offices. It will have an entrance on High Street, however, the main entrance will be through the lobby of the existing bank.
The Allison Building is believed to have been constructed in the 1830s by Albert G. Allison. Allison’s son or grandson, William Allison, is credited with starting the Rain Day tradition in 1875. William Allison was a clerk in the Allison Building for the J.T. Rogers & Co. drugstore.
According to Rain Day legend, Allison started keeping a record of the weather July 29 after hearing a farmer complain it always seemed to rain every year on that date, his birthday.
Allison began making friendly wagers with others that it would rain July 29. The tradition eventually evolved into Rain Day, which is based on the belief it always rains in Waynesburg on July 29 and is celebrated annually by the community with a large street fair.
The Allison Building was purchased by First Federal in June 2013. Engineers who inspected the building found numerous structural deficiencies, including collapsed load-bearing walls, and determined the structure would be too costly to repair.
The old building was demolished in October 2013.
In other business, the commission granted final approval to plans by Wilson Forest products for the construction of a new 20,000 square foot building at its plant on Route 188 in Morgan Township. The building will be used for storage and for distribution activities associated with the business.