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Uniontown rescinds 911 parking lot sale agreement

By Mike Tony mtony@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read

UNIONTOWN — At its regular monthly meeting Wednesday, city council unanimously rescinded its vote last month to sell the parking lot at 8 E. Main St. adjacent to the Fayette County Public Service Building to the city redevelopment authority, with an end goal of the authority then selling the property to a private citizen for redevelopment.

The city in a 4-1 vote on June 7 agreed to sell what is commonly known as the 911 parking lot to the redevelopment authority for $10, and the agreement states that the redevelopment authority is then to negotiate a sale of the property to John Cellurale at a price no less than $1,000 payable by Cellurale to the authority in immediately available funds.

But Uniontown Redevelopment Authority officials balked at approving the agreement at their meeting on June 28, indicating that the eventual developer of the property remains an open question, accepting council’s wish to transfer the lot to the authority but not to subsequently convey the property to Cellurale or any other developer. Instead, Uniontown Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Mark Rafail indicated at the June 28 meeting that the authority’s intention is to seek requests for quotation (RFQs) from interested developers, later noting the potential for the authority to lease the property to a developer, who could then build a building on the land.

“Nothing, and I repeat, nothing, was done illegally or underhanded or for any backdoor deals,” Mayor Bernie Kasievich said at Wednesday’s meeting, adding that fellow Councilman Joby Palumbo and Rafail had worked very hard on the agreement to try to get the deal done for the betterment of the city.

Following the agreement’s June 7 passage, several city business leaders criticized the deal, and at its regular monthly meeting, the Uniontown Downtown Business District Authority voted to submit to the Herald-Standard’s editorial department a letter to the editor criticizing the city for not initially putting the lot up for bid.

Prior to the agreement’s rescission, Daniel Webster, an attorney representing UDBDA member and prominent city businessman Steve Neubauer questioned why the city would attach to its agreement a stipulation that the city redevelopment authority was to transfer the property to a private person.

“Unfortunately, it appears that the city was attempting to evade the advertising and bidding requirements under the third-class city code,” Webster said, an accusation that Palumbo, who was given permission at council’s May 17 special meeting to negotiate the agreement, angrily denied in response to Webster’s address to council.

“The redevelopment authority did have conversation with Councilman Palumbo on the property, but we never came to a decision of selling it to anyone,” Rafail said, adding that the property has not yet been transferred by the city to the redevelopment authority.

“Are you guys happy?” Palumbo tersely asked Webster and Neubauer’s son Joe immediately following council’s vote to rescind the agreement.

Before council adjourned later in the meeting, Councilman Jared Billy, who cast the lone vote against the agreement last month, thanked redevelopment authority Chairman Harry Fike for declining to accept the agreement as initially passed by council.

In other business, council informally approved a “Hoops and Scoops” basketball event to be held in the 911 parking lot on the evening of August 1 for National Night Out, an annual celebration on the first Tuesday in August held in neighborhoods across the country that strives to strengthen relationships between families, children and public safety departments. The event will be held in conjunction with the Fayette County Community Action Agency’s Neighborhood Partnership Program and the Uniontown Concerned Citizens Association and feature basketball shootouts and an opportunity for local residents to interact with local safety and other public officials.

Later, council unanimously voted to advertise for a part-time code enforcement officer at a rate of $12 per hour up to 25 hours per week to replace Phil Michael, who was appointed the city’s code enforcement officer in May following the resignation of Scott Chapple from that role. Kasievich confirmed after the meeting that Michael was no longer effectively serving in the role due to other commitments, and Kasievich and Councilman Jared Billy thanked Michael for his service during the meeting.

Council also authorized the redevelopment authority to work with K2 Engineering at a cost not to exceed $1,200 to submit an application for a Local Share Account grant on the city’s behalf for planning relating to the city’s portion of the Sheepskin Trail.

City engineer John Over noted that South Union Township has almost completed construction of its section of the Sheepskin Trail.

“Uniontown is certainly the next step north,” Over said. ” … Part of this process of applying for the LSA will be looking at the route through the city to take, the cost of the route for the city and the potential grant money available.”

Council also unanimously voted without comment to advertise to seek requests for proposal for reconstruction of the large field at Bailey Park.

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