Matthew Drive work funded
SOUTH UNION TWP. – U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown) announced that $1.4 million in earmarked funds will be used to upgrade Matthew Drive and the Route 119 ramps, the township supervisors announced at Wednesday’s meeting. Supervisors said at least $1 million will be used to complete the section of road running from Route 21 to the Widewater Development. The roadway will be converted into four lanes and equipped with turning lanes and traffic signals at the Wal-Mart and K-Mart intersections. Two more lanes will be established at the Route 119 bypass ramps, and the New Salem Road extension, set to run through the Fayette County Business Park, will be completed.
“In order to accommodate development, having the proper infrastructure and proper highways to handle the traffic is quite essential,” Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer said.
The money will ensure that the project adhere to the state Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) schedule. The funds will also make up for the shortfall the supervisors will experience in order to match 20 percent in federal funds under PennDOT’s 12-year program. The township is working with PennDOT to complete the projects.
The supervisors said the improvements will be complete in the next several years.
“We would like to thank the congressman for addressing the needs here,” Schiffbauer said. “He promised to help Fayette County and this is proof that he’ll do so.
“There are very few developments taking place in Fayette County and this is very bright for the area. We need to continue development here,” he added. “This money will make it a little brighter and allows the county and township to grow.”
Letters of committal were signed by seven entities interested in developing at the business park, Schiffbauer said. Those entities include a possible Wal-Mart super center and retail outlets developed by a company out of Cleveland, Ohio.
Schiffbauer said if those seven entities were to locate, their developments would produce an additional $1.2 million in yearly taxes to the Laurel Highlands School District, $400,000 to the county and about $56,000 for the township.
Schiffbauer questioned whether the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program will be useful at this location, adding that the KOZ program has produced acres of weeds and is not exactly the success people thought it would be.
He said the program has experienced some success at the Eberly Technology Park on Route 119, but overall it has been a failure.
When entities look for a place to develop, they look in a two- to three-mile radius, Schiffbauer explained. Uniontown, he said, is centrally located, so it is more convenient for the surrounding communities of Point Marion, Masontown and Brownsville to travel to Uniontown to shop.
“This area is the center of development in Fayette County, and I think it is the responsibility of all the elected officials to work together and make sure that economic development takes place,” Schiffbauer said.
The supervisors also conducted the following business:
– Adopted the final budget for 2005 of more than $4 million that includes no increase in the township’s current tax rate of .6 mills, which equals to residents paying $6 in taxes for every $10,000 in assessed property value. The supervisors said the tax rate has remained steady for over 30 years.
“We have been quite frugal in our money and we do what we can for the township,” Supervisor Thomas Frankhouser said.
– Invited residents to attend a Thursday, Dec. 9, meeting at 7 p.m. in the municipal building to discuss traffic concerns and possible participation in a traffic calming program designed to include public input and introduce new solutions for traffic control, including speeding.
If there is enough interest in the program, volunteers will be sought to form a traffic calming committee.
– Heard from Gigi Patrignani of 6 Hague St. about a local developer’s plans to convert 11 acres of land into a subdivision of eight homes, which puts a 200-year-old oak tree in jeopardy of being cut down. Frankhouser told Patrignani that the alley belongs to the people who live there and the supervisors cannot vacate an alley the township does not own. The supervisors said the issue should be settled if the developer decides to place a cul-de-sac around the tree, which are in the developer’s plans. Frankhouser agreed to speak to the developer about the issue, but noted he can only ask because the developer has the authority over the land he owns.