County business park poised for continuing work
The Fayette County Redevelopment Authority is prepping for the next round of major improvements to benefit the Fayette County Business Park. At Tuesday’s board meeting, Executive Director Andrew P. French said the authority plans to seek requests for qualifications for engineers to perform two important phases of work.
Within a week, French said he intends to solicit an RFQ for engineering services to complete the final phase of infrastructure improvements in the park, located along Route 40 and New Salem Road. He said that phase would utilize $2 million in state capital budget funds, which requires a local match that could include land value.
And by next month’s meeting, French told his board that he hopes to have them voting on an RFQ to select a firm to perform preliminary engineering for completion of the Matthew Drive Extension through the park, completing a vital traffic artery.
Both components of the development will position the 288-acre, South Union Township park for full build out, although much of its available acreage is already spoken for.
Another important component for current and prospective park tenants is already underway, said French, as the state Department of Transportation has begun a significant upgrade of Route 40 that includes two new “signalized intersections”: one where the park’s Wayland Smith Drive intersects Route 40, and the other on the Brownsville side of the Holiday Inn where Superior Ford is slated to relocate on the North Union Township side of the highway.
Board members hailed the developments as key improvements to continuing the park’s rapid forward momentum.
In another matter of business, the board authorized French to sign an engineering services contract for the Ohiopyle Borough Water System Improvement Project, which is being paid for with $500,000 in competitively acquired Community Development Block Grant funds.
French said he hopes to have the engineering for that project completed by the end of summer, with construction to start soon after.
The board also agreed to file a pre-application for a $150,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Housing Preservation Grant, which French said would enable the authority to impact 12 to 14 homes.