Connellsville council awards contract
CONNELLSVILLE – The city will move ahead with upgrading several streets, despite mayoral concerns that several of the roadways should be repaved at the expense of the companies that opened them to repair utility lines. The city council awarded a contract to Victor Paving & Construction Inc. for the milling and repaving work, at a cost of $80,735.15.
The Monongahela firm submitted the lowest amount of the six contractors submitting bids for the project, which should get under way within the next several weeks.
The surfaces of six of the 14 roadways will be removed and replaced, with the remaining streets to be resurfaced.
Before the council voted on the matter, Mayor Judy Reed alleged that several of the roadways were in poor condition because utility companies and the city’s municipal authority have not complied with local ordinances, not because of excessive vehicular traffic.
“Porter Avenue is all torn up with potholes,” said Reed, tying the rough road surface to prior work by a utility company. “Our tax dollars are going to be used to correct this condition.”
Reed said local regulations require that if utility companies and the municipal authority must open up any roads to complete repair and maintenance work, they must return the streets to their original condition.
“That is not being done,” she said, attributing the poor condition of Pulaski, Vine, South Prospect, Madison, Pearl and Park streets and Davidson Avenue to prior utility work.
“If the road has to be opened for some reason, the responsibility is not the taxpayers’ to pay to have this done, but the authority who has contracted to have this work done.”
Dick Widmer, vice president of Widmer Engineering, said that he works with city street department foreman Vernon Ohler to determine the roadways selected for upgrading with the current year’s funding.
“We take a look at how much money is available, where there are water problems and where milling has to be done,” he said. “We try to keep as much of the work together in order to get a better price.”
The council also conducted the following business:
– Adopted an ordinance prohibiting the use of brake retarders (“Jake” brakes) within the city limits and setting a fine of $50 for those found in violation of the regulation.
– Agreed to accept bids for two city police department vehicles.
– Issued a sidewalk right of way for the construction of a handicapped-accessibility ramp at 125 Apple St.