Council votes to proceed with condemnations
CALIFORNIA – California Borough council in special session Thursday voted to proceed with condemnations for a dozen properties needed for the right-of-way for a new sewer line in the Granville-Malden area. Borough engineer Art Brower said the property owners have been contacted several times, but the last dozen have not responded and further delay could jeopardize the bid amounts received for the project. Council voted to proceed, with the provision that all of the property owners be contacted first by solicitor Ernest DeHaas.
Among the properties being condemned are several owned by the Student Association Inc. at California University of Pennsylvania, including a parcel of less than a tenth of an acre at the old Harris farm needed for a pump station.
Council is seeking an appraised value for the parcel as well as for a parcel owned by the borough near the university campus.
A land swap has been proposed by the university. It was agreed that the condemnation proceeding would be withdrawn if an agreement is reached.
Brower suggested that the council discuss the situation with DeHaas, who was not at the meeting, but cautioned that time is of the essence because of the bid process.
“If we don’t take action, it could put you beyond the period the contractor has guaranteed his price,” Brower said.
To provide more time for the final property acquisitions council postponed taking action to award the contracts for the sewer line construction until next week’s regular meeting.
Council also approved a subdivision in the California Technology Park that could result in more jobs in the community.
The council voted unanimously in favor of subdividing Lot 7 in the business park.
Engineer Art Brower explained that the subdivision has already been approved by Washington County and that the council at this time was not voting to approve any particular use of the land, just the subdivision.
“There is a private developer building a facility out there for Drabo, which is already out there,” Brower said of the subdivision.
Brower said Crossgates Inc. is developing the site for Drabo, intending to put in a shipping or warehouse facility that will employ 35 to 40 people.
“The developer doesn’t need the whole property and wants to subdivide so he can sell the other half to somebody,” Brower said.
“Why wouldn’t we want another tenant in our park? Thirty to forty jobs are still jobs,” said Councilman Patsy Alfano.
Council voted on several other issued Thursday, with Councilman Anthony Mariscotti voting against them.
Mariscotti said he voted against the measures because there was no legal counsel present.
Council president Sheila Chambers said an e-mail was sent to solicitor Ernest DeHaas and she wasn’t certain why he wasn’t present at the special meeting and the committee-of-the-whole meeting that followed.
Among the issues approved 6-1 was the advertisement to sell scrap rebar, with an estimated scrap price of approximately $15,000.