Dec 15, 2003 By Joyce Koballa 3 min read

CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – The Department of General Services (DGS) has been forced to postpone the construction of a $3.67 million Pennsylvania Army National Guard Readiness Center after plans to break ground this month on the project were washed away with the area’s Nov. 19 flooding. While ground has been cleared for the project, Frank Kane, DGS press secretary, said it is too wet now for further construction, which is slated to continue in April.

“The ground is saturated and they really can’t pour concrete, so we put a stop on construction. …It’s just been an anomaly as far as the amount of precipitation,” said Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, public information officer for the state National Guard.

Cleaver said not only did the rain affect the construction of the center in the township, but also another facility the DGS is building in Johnstown.

According to Cleaver, the DGS’s action to halt construction was a prudent decision.

“We’re looking at the long-term viability of the facility and structural integrity, so we’d much rather wait than jeopardize it,” Cleaver said.

The DGS hired Pittsburgh Building Co. of Murrysville to oversee construction for the 25,000-square-foot facility that will be located on a 15-acre parcel near the Connellsville Township Elementary School on Rock Ridge Road.

The DGS also awarded contracts to John Hall Inc. of Ligonier for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning installation; Whitby Inc. of Uniontown for related plumbing work; and Roger Electric of Orbisonia for electrical installation.

Valentour English Bodnar & Howell Registered Architects of Pittsburgh completed the project’s drawings.

During the last four years, the DGS has managed to overcome several obstacles that continued to delay the project, including a six-month suspension in February 2002 related to preliminary cost estimates followed by its rejection of bids in August that either came in too high or did not meet specifications.

Because the property is zoned A-1 (agricultural) the DGS was also required by Commonwealth Court Judge Emeril E. Narick to adhere to certain criteria in order to operate the facility as part of a settlement with the township.

“There’s been no doubt that the Connellsville armory was a long, long road,” Cleaver said.

With that in mind, Cleaver stressed there will be a special celebration upon the center’s completion. “We are definitely going to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony and not ruling out a ground breaking when construction starts back up in the spring,” Cleaver said.

Once construction is completed, the center will provide a training site for Company D, 1st/103rd Armor, now based at the Washington Avenue armory in Connellsville. It will house the National Guard’s administrative offices and include a gymnasium and educational training classrooms, kitchen, locker and equipment storage rooms and a 75-space parking lot.

Aside from the property’s acquisition from local attorney Michael Macko, the project is being funded in part by $1.7 million secured in part three years ago by U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, along with an additional $1.7 million designated last November by the federal government.