Sep 12, 2016 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough Council hopes to have a building at the sewage treatment plant that was damaged in a fire in June at least under roof before the arrival of winter weather.

Borough manager Mike Simms suggested council move ahead with the project before wet and freezing weather causes further damage to the building’s exposed brick walls.

Something should be done before it gets too cold to prevent more damage to the building, Councilman Dar Fitch said.

“We have to get a roof on ASAP,” he said.

The building, which housed a garage, work shop, the treatment plant’s electrical distribution terminal and emergency generator, was heavily damaged in a June 19 fire.

Council agreed to bid the project as a whole, replacing the roof, doors, windows and electrical and heating systems.

It also decided to seek bids for roofing materials only, which would be accepted if the borough can schedule to have a prison inmate work crew come in time to construct a roof on the building before the weather changes.

Simms said the project was discussed with Bob Dengler, the engineer on the borough’s sewer improvement project.

It was agreed the building will be needed no matter which option council chooses in addressing the sewage system improvements.

Simms said the borough also received a $91,000 advance from its insurance company for damage from the fire. The total amount the borough will receive from insurance has not yet been determined, he said.

Council also discussed replacing the generator that was destroyed in the fire.

In regard to the sewage improvement project, council agreed to apply for a $500,000 grant from Commonwealth Finance Authority that would be used to rehabilitate sewer manholes and lines.

The borough is now preparing a plan to address a state Department of Environmental Protection mandate to reduce overflows at its treatment plant that result from the sewer system having combined stormwater and sanitary sewers.

The grant will require a 15 percent match, Dengler said. However, grant money from other sources can be used by the borough as its match.

Dengler also reported his firm will be conducting dye and smoke testing to determine further which storm sewer catch basins are also connected to sanitary sewers.

In other business, Simms reported the borough is planning to hold fall clean-up days Oct. 13, 14 and 15, during which residents can bring unwanted household items to the borough street department on First Street.

Police chief Rob Toth reported he began raising money in the community to purchase new radios for the police department.

The last time the department purchased any new radios was “five or six years ago,” but many of the radios are much older, he said.

Toth said he has talked to a dealer who offered the borough a 30 percent discount on replacing all the department radios at a cost of about $20,000.

Assistant manager Bryan Cumberledge reported he joined the street crew in painting a crosswalk at the intersection of Lincoln and Morgan streets using a new pattern that is much more visible.

He was asked to also re-paint the crosswalks on other heavily-used intersections on High and Greene streets.

Richhill Street resident Sam Francis asked council if it could arrange to have signs placed at the top of Richhill Street warning truck drivers about the hill and the need to drive slowly.

Many oil and gas trucks use the road each day and Francis said he is concerned especially because a school bus stops on the street each day to pick up and drop off students.