Oct 12, 2020 3 min read

Greene County commissioners approved various financial and administration requests that will impact a wide array of ongoing county issues and projects, including aerial property data collection and repairs and improvements to the courthouse clock tower and county jail roof.

Commissioners approved an amendment request on Thursday from Pictometry International Corp. totaling $112,269 for additional elevation data to be obtained on future flight imagery.

The board previously approved an agreement totaling $247,583 with Pictometry for a flight over the county, where the digital flyover data obtained will be used as “a vital tax assessment tool,” said Commissioner Mike Belding. The data is expected to be made available to the county by Dec. 30.

Belding said the amendment will allow the company to conduct an additional flight for elevation data to be used to observe and detect changes in gas well pads, pipelines, excavation sites and more.

Belding said elevation data currently used by the county has not been updated since 2006.

The total cost thus far for the ongoing Pictometry project is $359,852, which Belding said will be paid for through Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding.

Commissioners also approved a request to apply for a Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) grant totaling $756,987 through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA).

The funding, which is a matching grant, will pay for costs pertaining to a Waynesburg Commons Multimodal Improvements project that will include the construction of walkways around the four parks on the north side of Waynesburg, near the university.

Belding said the project is a collaboration between the county, borough and Waynesburg University, and if the application is approved, county officials will “figure out how to match it.”

If the application is approved but the county is unable to match, no money will be accepted, he added.

Commissioners also agreed to designate Belding and county Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall as officials to execute all documents for the project between the county and CFA, effective Sept. 24.

They also approved a draft of the Active Transportation Plan for Waynesburg Parks from Widmer Engineering for public review and input. Belding said the draft can be viewed on the county website, www.co.greene.pa.

Commissioners also approved an amendment to their agreement with EADS Architects, Inc. for the ongoing county prison replacement project. The amendment, at a cost not to exceed $25,000, covers an engineering study for the project, which is expected to begin construction next year.

Last month, commissioners approved an agreement for EADS to temporarily repair the county’s leaking roof; Belding said the previous agreement was to provide “a temporary fix” for the roof, while the recent approval will entail a permanent roof replacement.

Commissioners also approved a change order from Arkadia Contracting Inc. for additional work on the county courthouse clock tower, in the amount of $15,995.

Belding said workers on an ongoing improvement project to the courthouse roof, tower and clock recently discovered that weathered louver panels in the tower are damaged due to long-term exposure to inclement weather and need to be fixed.

The project entails weather-proofing the roof, tower and clock.