Progress being made on Dunbar Twp. projects
DUNBAR TWP. – Progress is being made on two separate projects involving proposed storage tanks in the areas of Works Hill in Dunbar Township and Hague Lane in South Union Township, according to the engineer for the North Fayette County Municipal Authority. The authority on Tuesday learned from Bob Softcheck, authority manager, the projects would be funded with $2.6 million in grants from the state and through the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
Softcheck added the authority is responsible for finding matching funds it plans to pursue through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority once the project is designed and ready to be placed for bid.
“In order to do that, we have to pay the engineering fees and the other environmental studies that have to be done,” said Softcheck.
Softcheck estimated the costs would amount to about $1 million that would be paid with a loan from either First National Bank or Centra.
Dick Widmer, vice president of Widmer Engineering, indicated a property owner in Works Hill agreed to sell the authority one acre of land while granting an easement and a right-of-way so North Fayette can construct a road to the tank.
The tank is needed in Works Hill to meet the increased water demands in the areas of Cavert Wire to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, as well as the Uniontown Industrial Development Park, Laurel Mall, Connellsville Airport and Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
The areas are currently serviced by the Industrial Park Booster Station, which is not supported by a storage tank.
Widmer said the amount of land for the tank in Hague Lane is not as spacious and requires a right-of-way from a property owner for North Fayette to be able to access it.
“The location of the tank site there is difficult, there’s not a lot of flat ground where the highest elevation is,” said Widmer.
Widmer suggested an area that would accommodate the tank is located behind a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, however, Widmer is still looking into who owns the property.
“We’ve at least made contact with some of the property owners and there seems to be a willingness to accommodate (the authority),” said Widmer.
In a separate matter, the authority received an update from Ted Shal, customer service representative, about its website being designed by high school/middle school students in the computer class of teacher James Natale in the Frazier School District.
Shal said he registered the authority with a company that provides websites, which designated the name www.northfayettecountywater.org.