Jul 12, 2017 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg Borough officials expect to resurface sections of six streets this year as part of the annual paving program.

The borough will advertise for bids this month and probably will hold a special council meeting July 31 to award a contract, borough manager Mike Simms told council Monday. Work is expected to begin in early fall.

This year, the borough will repave First Avenue from West to Bowlby streets; Bowlby Street, from First to Park avenues; Franklin Street, from Morgan to Washington streets; Elm Street, from Richhill to Washington streets; Lincoln Street, from Morris to Washington streets; and Race Street, from Bridge to Short streets.

The borough also considered paving part of Bridge Street, but in discussions with a representative for the state Department of Transportation it was determined that also doing Bridge Street this year might push the borough over its budget, Simms said.

Bridge Street is “the best of the worst, so to speak,” Simms said. The road will be considered for repaving next year.

The paving project is funded with liquid fuels money. The borough normally conducts a paving program each year. However, last year the borough canceled the program so it could combine last year’s and this year’s funds for a larger project, Simms said.

In other business, council approved a 45-day review period for the updated zoning ordinance that has been in the works for the last few months.

The new ordinance includes language that should be more understandable to people, council President Larry Marshall said. “It’s simplified the zoning language so most people can read and understand it,” he said.

The updated ordinance also addressed various contradictions that appear in the existing ordinance and adds uses that were not issues when the original ordinance was adopted.

Drug-treatment clinics, for example, were not as prevalent when the original ordinance was written but became an issue last year when two clinics proposed opening in the downtown business district.

The updated ordinance addresses drug-treatment clinics and includes them as permitted uses in the manufacturing zoning districts.

Simms reported the committee working on the zoning update has only to finalize a provision regarding signs. That should be completed soon, and the document will be available to the public.

A public hearing regarding the ordinance will probably be held prior to the council’s September meeting. If no major changes are suggested, the ordinance can be adopted that month.