Bridges, stream the topics of discussion in Perryopolis
PERRYOPOLIS – Two bridges in the community have caught the attention of local officials, and a stream also will require some work, according to the borough council. Borough Council President Ron Dreucci said Wednesday that workers with the Fayette County Bridge Department looked at two borough bridges: one near St. Nicholas Church, the other near St. John’s.
Workers will have to dredge under the bridge near St. Nicholas Church to keep the creek flowing clear, he said.
However, the bridge near St. John’s may need extensive repairs, and a county bridge engineer will inspect the span, Dreucci said. Because of a washout on the Route 51 side of the bridge and the amount of rust on the steel support beams, county bridge worker Bill Arnold expressed concern that a tractor-trailer could use the bridge and end up in the creek, Dreucci said.
Concerning Washington Creek, Perry Township Supervisor A.J. Boni informed the council that state prison workers began clearing the stream Monday, starting in Star Junction, and should be done in the township by next Wednesday. After that, he said, the workers could be turned over to the borough for clearing the portion of the stream that runs through Perryopolis.
In another matter, the council noted that road paving will begin sometime next week, with one substitution. Instead of paving Abel Alley behind the Methodist Church, the borough has gotten state permission to substitute the alley between Columbia Street and Circle Street.
Councilman Paul Black explained that the church alley was ripped up for sewer line placement and wouldn’t be ready for resurfacing in time, so the change was made.
Moving to other business, at the prompting of Councilman Ron Lombard, the board will hold a budget work session Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7:15 p.m. With the annual contribution from the Mary Fuller-Frazier Estate anticipated to be about $20,000 less than in years past, he urged council members to come to the meeting with estimates on specific needs for next year’s budget.
With less tax money coming in than anticipated, Lombard noted that money is getting tighter as the end of the year approaches.
“Regardless of what anybody says, we are not broke,” he said. However, he looks to the coming year as a “build-up” year.
“Not building per se, but building up our money,” he said.