New restaurant to move into Uniontown Mall
Plans for a new restaurant in the Uniontown Mall came to light Wednesday when the South Union Township supervisors agreed to the transfer of a liquor license from German Township into South Union for a Garfield’s restaurant. The request for the liquor license came from restaurant owner Eateries Inc. of Oklahoma. With the supervisors’ approval, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will now have the final say.
Patrick Michael McCue, counsel for Eateries Inc., said the firm has a tentative lease with the owners of the Uniontown Mall that includes about $600,000 worth of renovations and construction for the restaurant, which would employ 50 people.
The restaurant, which would seat 175 people, is expected to open in July in the area of a former arcade at the mall’s Bon Ton entrance. The company operates Garfield’s restaurants in Washington and Butler counties and Morgantown, W.Va., and McCue said the hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and Sundays, with later hours Fridays and Saturdays.
Doug Davis, vice president for the northern region of Eateries Inc., said the company is community-oriented. He spoke of a school reading program and an awards of excellence effort that the company supports, and he said he is a local resident with a daughter enrolled at Hatfield Elementary School in Uniontown, where Eateries Inc. will help raise money for playground improvements.
“We want everybody to look beyond this being another restaurant,” Davis said.
Among other matters, the supervisors helped Widewaters Uniontown Company LLC of New York move another step closer toward the development of 72.71 acres behind the Wal-Mart and Super Kmart stores when they approved sewage planning modules for the project.
Widewaters plans to develop 11 lots in the area of Matthew Drive and New Salem Road, with 219,622 square feet of retail space projected for one lot to the western side of Matthew Drive and a combined 215,200 square feet of retail space outlined for eight lots to the eastern side. Two smaller retail developments are planned for two lots on the northern side of New Salem Road.
Supervisor Thomas Frankhouser said the sewage planning modules call for the use of 27,600 gallons of water per day for a total of 69 public toilets. He said the existing sewerage lines would be extended from Matthew Drive to 11 connections, and the Greater Uniontown Joint Sewerage Authority sewerage treatment plant would be the collection place.
The supervisors last month approved the subdivision of Widewaters’ property into the 11 lots. For development to take place, Frankhouser said afterward, a few items still are needed, including a developer’s agreement with the township.
Also, the supervisors voted to enter into an agreement with the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for reimbursement of Matthew Drive upgrades.
Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer said the roadway was placed on the federal highway list more than a year ago, and $465,000 in federal and state money was promised for the planning of those improvements to Matthew Drive, although no money has come down yet for the actual construction costs. He said the township is required to put up a 20-percent match, or $86,000, toward the cost of planning and designs, and the vote was the supervisors’ authorization to participate in the funding.
Schiffbauer said the supervisors can offset the township’s share through money that developers in the area of Matthew Drive may contribute toward the roadway.
Regarding another roadway concern, Schiffbauer said the supervisors are asking PennDOT for information on when the department may follow through with plans to construct a full interchange at the Walnut Hill Road exit off Route 119. He talked about the economic development that could happen if the roadway was fully accessible and said the supervisors need definitive information to be able to attract new businesses to that area.
PennDOT officials said in January that a feasibility study was under way on whether the half-diamond exchange at the exit should be upgraded to a full-diamond exchange. A date of summer 2005 was quoted at that time for construction to begin if the study found the upgrade was needed.
“The township has been a strong proponent of the ramps’ being completed. We classified it as a top priority project,” Schiffbauer said.
Schiffbauer said the ramps should have been made part of the roadway 30 years ago when the bypass was built. Walnut Hill Road cannot be reached from all directions with the half-diamond interchange.
The county’s transportation consultant, Bill Piper, outlined the history of funding that has been earmarked for planning over recent years but has not yet come through. He said 150 to 200 acres of property could be developed if Walnut Hill Road had a full interchange from the highway.
“Without the full interchange, there’s nobody who will want to locate out there. You’ve got to have access,” Piper said.
Meanwhile, Frankhouser reported the road crews worked 13 days in February to clear snow, and the township used $48,866 worth of salt for the roadways. He said overtime and extra hired help and equipment also was needed when the state called a snow disaster and the township declared a snow emergency in the wake of the President’s Day storm. He said the added costs have not all been calculated, but Schiffbauer said the supervisors will apply for state aid.