Attorney says building permit appears to be in order
CONNELLSVILLE – A preliminary review of a controversial building permit application gives the appearance of complying with all guidelines, according to the solicitor for the planning commission. Kirk Sohonage, who serves as legal counsel for the city board, said that he has looked over the paperwork submitted by businessman Randy Strickler for the construction of a building along Crawford Avenue, and finds everything to be in order.
Strickler owns the triangular 0.145-acre piece of property that adjoins Sheetz, Route 201 and Crawford Avenue, where the multi-level structure is being built by him and McGuinness Construction.
“Right now, I haven’t found anything that does not comply with the guidelines,” he said. “He has obtained signatures from Widmer Engineering, (city code officer) Rita Bornstein and PennDOT. The application appears to be complete.”
Strickler, who currently serves as secretary to the city planning commission, was instructed to halt construction after it was learned the application had not been reviewed by the panel.
The more than 40-foot-tall structure being erected at the city’s busiest intersection has drawn criticism from officials and residents, who have stated it blocks their view of traffic when traveling through Crawford Avenue and routes 119 and 201.
More importantly, according to Mayor Judy Reed, is that the building has been nearly completed without being approved by the city planning commission.
“How did this get through?” asked Reed during the boards’ October meeting.
Documents filed with the city clerk’s office indicate that Strickler submitted a building application for the construction on May 20. However, a review of the commissions’ meeting minutes for the months of May, June, August and September do not indicate the board took action on the application or discussed the matter. There was no meeting held in July due to a lack of a quorum of the boards’ membership. The board meets the first Tuesday of each month.
David Leeder, member of the planning board, confirmed that the application was never brought before the panel for consideration although Strickler had, in general conversation, discussed replacing signs that had been constructed on the site several years ago.
“Randy may have said something about new signs,” said Leeder. “But, I never saw an application for a building permit.”
However, Stricklers’ legal counsel, attorney Richard Bower, said his client has a valid permit and is authorized to proceed with the construction.
Bower points to a portion of Strickler’s application that contains the signatures of the commission’s former chairman, Mike Paxinos and board secretary Samuel Spotto as evidence to the authority for Strickler to proceed with the project.
On May 20, the same date as the application was submitted, both Paxinos and Spotto signed the document verifying that they had reviewed the application and accompanying plans and approved of the building on behalf of the commission.
Neither Paxinos nor Spotto returned telephone calls placed to their respective home and office seeking comment as to why they signed off on the documentation before it was presented to the board.
Paxinos subsequently resigned from the board in July and Spotto was elected to the chairmanship in August.
Last week, Spotto, during the regular meeting of the commission, called the matter “an oversight” and moved to have the board take action on the application, but board member Tom Trimpey instead asked that any decision be tabled until Sohonage had the opportunity to review the paperwork and advise the panel.
Sohonage said he anticipates the board to hold a special meeting to address the application, however, the commission has not set a date.