Prospects for Home Depot store brighten
A Home Depot home improvement store could be open for business by January 2004, but it appears a new Wal-Mart Supercenter may not be part of the first phase of a new development at a South Union Township site, the township supervisors announced Wednesday. Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer said the public has long been aware of plans by Widewaters Development Inc. to develop 76 acres of land behind the existing Wal-Mart and Super Kmart Center stores, along Matthew Drive. He announced that phase one of the development includes construction of a Home Depot, other stores and as many as five restaurants.
He stressed that for Home Depot to remain involved in the project, a January deadline must be met, and the developer, PennDOT, township and county officials must agree upon plans for the site.
“We have had some success in meetings, and things are looking a bit brighter, but we have not finalized the plan yet,” Schiffbauer said. “We are all working together as a team.”
He said if the January deadline is met, site work could begin soon after, and construction of the store could begin by late spring, with a tentative opening date of the third week in January 2004. Schiffbauer said he was glad to see that Home Depot appears to have returned to the project, which he said will make the developing Fayette County Business Park nearby more attractive.
As for a new Wal-Mart store, the supervisors said the owners of the current Cherry Tree Square shopping center have made some overtures about expanding and converting the current store into a supercenter. Wal-Mart supercenters in other locations include grocery stores, in addition to retail sales areas.
Schiffbauer said Widewaters may have another tenant in negotiations for the Cherry Tree site that had been projected for the nation’s largest retailer, but he did not speculate further. He said the new Wal-Mart store could have been as large as 220,000 square feet, but a converted store probably would not reach that size.
A hearing with the township zoning hearing board about the possible expansion of the current Wal-Mart store has been scheduled for Dec. 17.
Once the first phase of development is under way, Schiffbauer said, a second phase is projected to follow.
“Working together, we are able to accomplish things, and we are about to do that at this location,” Schiffbauer said. “Hopefully later this month or the first of January, we will have a definite word on this.”
In another matter, the supervisors adopted the 2003 budget without a tax increase, though the millage rate has been changed to reflect the recently completed Fayette County reassessment. After the reassessment, the township’s assessed value jumped from $117,451,920 to $508,006,293, and the tax rate will change to .6 mills to reflect the revenue neutrality required after a reassessment.
The general fund budget totals $1.91 million, while revenue totals $3.59 million, with about $1.85 million as an estimated fund balance.
The supervisors stressed that some residents may pay more in taxes this year because of the reassessment, the first done in the county since 1958.
In other business, the township officials announced that Commonwealth Court will hold a hearing Dec. 12 in Harrisburg regarding a petition filed for a preliminary or special injunction to stop enforcement of the state’s landfill tipping fees.
Supervisors in both North Union and South Union townships, along with the Uniontown city council, filed a lawsuit in September, charging that the state Legislature’s vote to impose $4 tipping fees on all garbage haulers was unconstitutional and impairs contracts the municipalities have with CBF Inc.
The suit was filed against the state Department of Environmental Protection and DEP Secretary David Hess. Schiffbauer will travel to Harrisburg to testify on behalf of the township at the hearing.
Solicitor John Purcell said the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania will file a “friend of the court” brief in support of the lawsuit after commissioners in counties statewide have begun to recognize the effect of the tipping fees.
“We are gratified that they have taken this step and we look forward to their support,” he said. “We look forward to arguing the case and taking the position the township has taken – that the fee that was imposed is unconstitutional.”
Before adjourning, the supervisors voted to award a contract to North American Salt Co. of Overland Park, Kan., for 1,500 tons of rock salt for winter. North American was the lowest of six bidders, charging the township $34.53 per ton, for a total of $51,795.
The supervisors also voted to advertise for gasoline and diesel fuel and put a 1989 GMC truck and a 1981 Ford dump truck up for sale.