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North Union officials may scuttle Lemont Furnace honor roll plan

By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

Plans for the dedication of a new honor roll in Lemont Furnace next month may be scuttled after the North Union Township supervisors decided Tuesday not to support the honor roll’s proposed location. Members of the Lemont Furnace Crime Watch/Concerned Citizens have worked for more than three years to obtain grants for the development of a new honor roll at the site of the existing honor roll, but the supervisors said Tuesday they would not allow the new honor roll to be located there for three reasons.

Supervisor Tom Kumor said the board felt that the honor roll would be better housed on the grounds of the North Union Township Fire Department because of concerns about vandalism and parking at the current honor roll location.

“That’s what we are going to support, and we are going to ask the fire department to give us space there,” he said. “I know you have done a lot of hard work, but we have just run into too many problems there.”

The committee had asked for a flagpole near the new honor roll, and Kumor said a light would be needed to illuminate the flag during evening hours.

He said a light would shine not only on the flag, but would shine into someone’s window or onto the road, which could cause an accident.

Kumor said there is not sufficient room for cars to park at the current site, and the fire hall grounds have more room to handle more vehicles at once.

Supervisor John Mateosky said he agreed with the decision, saying the fire department would be a better, more secure location for the honor roll.

“It should be there. That’s my personal opinion,” he said.

He said the fire department would help take care of the area around the honor roll and see that it not be vandalized. Kumor said he has been concerned for months about vandals striking the new honor roll after it is installed, and felt that the new site would be more secure.

Despite the supervisors’ decision, members of the committee were unhappy after the meeting.

Connie Bryner said residents have worked for several years and were ready to spend the $15,000 required for the project in time for a dedication ceremony next month, only to see that ceremony most likely delayed as a result of the site change.

“We need to go forward with it,” she said. “We have the money, we have the stuff, and we need to go ahead.”

Bryner said the committee wrote in their grant application that the new honor roll would be located at the present site. She said she is concerned that the grant money could be in jeopardy if the honor roll is moved.

“We had the dedication set, we already spoke to the landscaper and the contractor was going to start next week,” she said.

“We wanted to use our land, after we got the deed and all, and now they tell us we can’t do it.”

Work will continue, but Bryner asked supervisors to meet this week with the group and the fire department to discuss the project further.

In other business, the supervisors approved a planning module for the new community center under construction at Penn State Fayette Campus and announced that a portion Junior Street will be closed for two weeks beginning July 27 so a new culvert can be installed.

Finally, Kumor said residents of Clark Street will be receiving letters from the township asking them to choose which option they prefer in renaming their street.

The township received a letter from the U.S. Postal Service asking that two streets in the township that have the same names as streets in Uniontown be changed.

The township changed one name and the city decided to change the name of another street, but Kumor said residents will choose between renaming the street either North Clark Street or Clark Street North. The choice with the most votes will become the new street name, he said, and asked residents to look for the letter in the mail and to return it to the township.

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