Uniontown council OKs loan
Uniontown City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance authorizing a $165,000 loan to purchase a vacant commercial building on Penn Street that will be converted into a new police station. Council voted unanimously Wednesday to borrow the money from PNC Bank to buy the building at 45-51 E. Penn St. from the estate of Dorothy K. Trusio.
Council must approve two readings of ordinances in order to adopt them.
After the meeting, Councilman Bob Cerjanec, director of accounts and finance, said the term of the loan is 10 years and the fixed interest rate is 4.30 percent.
He said council will consider the second reading at the Sept. 12 meeting.
Cerjanec said he did not know when renovation work would begin.
In unrelated business, council passed an amendment to its contract with the Greater Uniontown Joint Sewage Plant Authority that calls for quarterly adjustments to the calculations used to determine the city’s share of the plants costs.
According to the amendment, the city will provide the authority with updated numbers of equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) in the city that are served by the sewage system in March, June, September and December of every year so the authority can calculate the city’s share of the plant costs in January, April, July and October of every year.
The city shares the operating costs and debts of the plant with North Union and South Union townships.
Cerjanec said the EDU count had been adjusted just once a year, but more frequent adjustments are needed because there is more housing and business development in the townships than there is in the city.
In other business, council:
– Rescheduled the opening of bids to construct a new parking garage at the corner of Penn Street and Gallatin Avenue to a special meeting Monday at 11 a.m.
– Authorized Fire Chief Myron Nypaver to prepare bid specifications for the purchase of a new fire truck with a 95-foot ladder.
– Adopted an ordinance establishing a four-way stop intersection at Searights Avenue and Dunlap Street.
– Ratified a $6,200 contract with Laurel Highlands Nursery for landscaping around City Hall and maintaining the work for one year.
– Approved paying $100 to participate in the Central Westmoreland County Council of Governments vehicle-purchasing program for 2006.