In brief…
Conference scheduled The 11th annual landlord conference will be held Thursday, Sept. 26, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Uniontown Community Center at 137 N. Beeson Ave.
This conference, sponsored by Fayette County Community Action Agency, is held annually and provides a forum in which local agencies involved in landlord and tenant issues provide information regarding services, procedures and policies.
Representatives from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid Society, Uniontown and Connellsville zoning and code enforcement officers, Fayette County Housing Authority and Fayette County Community Action Agency will speak at the conference and discuss issues relevant to landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities. Information pertaining to energy assistance, weatherization, HUD and Section 8 housing and other subsidized housing programs also will be exchanged.
Anyone interested in landlord/tenant issues in Fayette County is encouraged to attend.
Refreshments are provided free of charge, and anyone interested in attending should call Dan Sochko at 724-437-6050, extension 239 or email planning@fccaa.org.
Roadwork planned
PennDOT’s Fayette County maintenance manager, Merle G. Bolen, has announced the following tentative work plan for this week.
All maintenance activities are conducted on a weather-permitting basis.
The bridge team will work on concrete bridge substructure and bridge concrete slab/curb repairs on Broadford-Owensdale Road.
The sign team will update signs on various state routes throughout Fayette County.
Team Mill Run will do shoulder work on Sugarloaf Road.
Team Limestone Hill will cut shoulders on Broadford-Owensdale Road.
Team Main Shed will side doze on Dunbar-Ohiopyle Road.
Team Cloverleaf will shoot dust oil on shoulders on various state routes throughout Fayette County.
Team Big Six will improve shoulders on Wymps Gap Road.
Team Searights will perform base repairs and patch shoulders on Narrows Road.
Team Summit will patch shoulders on Route 40.
PennDOT’s Team Fayette has a 24-hour, toll-free number for residents to call to report any road maintenance concern: 800-FIX ROAD.
Hours posted
Office hours at state Rep. Peter Daley’s district office will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. beginning Monday. The office telephone numbers are: South Union Township, 724-437-8660; and Donora, 724-379-5540.
Church to host service
Trinity Lutheran Church, 126 E. Fairview Ave., Connellsville, will host a service Wednesday at 7 p.m. commemorating Sept. 11, 2001. Boy Scout Troop 111 will post the colors. Todd Reagan will present a vocal solo, and the Rev. Philip S. Ramstad will speak.
Rev. Ramstad said, “This service is not only about patriotism but also about God’s part in that terrible day.’
The service, which is open to the public, will focus both on the events of one year ago and on the nation’s future. The offering will be given to the agencies still providing support to survivors and family members of those killed.
Armenti recuperating
California University of Pennsylvania President Angelo Armenti, Jr. was released from the hospital Thursday and is recuperating at home after bypass surgery.
Armenti is doing very well. His physician recommended surgery due to the results of a series of tests taken on Aug. 26 and 28. The surgery was performed Aug. 29.
The California University Forum, the university’s governance structure, on the recommendation of council of trustees’ chairman Aaron Walton, unanimously agreed during a meeting Tuesday, Sept. 3, that provost Curtis C. Smith should serve as acting president until Armenti returns to work.
After further consultation with the council of trustees, Walton will forward this recommendation to the State System of Higher Education board of governors for approval.
The matter was brought to the Forum in accordance with state policy. The forum is composed of faculty, students, alumni and administrators.
The time of Armenti’s return will be decided in consultation with his physician.
Well wishes may be sent to 250 University Ave., California, Pa. 15419.
Inquiries are being directed to the Cal U Office of Public Affairs at 724-938-4155.
Mon-Fayette advocates get aid
In a move to strengthen their position in any potential legal action against the Mon/Fayette Expressway Project, officials from the Mon Valley Progress Council and the Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway (MFE/SB) Alliance announced that two major Pittsburgh-based law firms have offered free legal assistance.
The section of the Mon/Fayette Expressway from Route 51 to Pittsburgh is in the environmental review phase and faces potential legal challenges by project opponents.
The law firms of Pepper Hamilton and Springer, Bush and Perry recently have agreed to represent the legal interests of the progress council and the MFE/SB Alliance in any legal proceedings against the expressway project.
The 131 businesses, labor groups and economic development organizations that comprise the alliance also are engaged in a fund-raising effort to support legal and related expenses for potential litigation.
Local officials noted that even with the pro-bono legal arrangement, the agencies could face significant expenses related to potential litigation.
“While the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will retain its own legal representation in any legal proceedings against the expressway project, the firms of Pepper Hamilton and Springer, Bush and Perry bring a wealth of experience in municipal and environmental law to aid us. We are very pleased that they will be involved in our efforts to keep the expressway project on track,” said progress council President Joe Vesely.
Joe Kirk, who serves as chairman of the MFE/SB Alliance and executive director of the Mon Valley Progress Council, said, “The support of these two highly respected law firms ensures that the broad community interest in these projects we be well represented in any legal proceeding.”
Kirk added, “While we fully appreciate the need for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to comply with all environmental and transportation planning requirements, we will directly respond to groups who seek to stop this crucial, economic-revitalization project through the misapplication of environmental law.”