Dunbar Creek construction project to begin
DUNBAR – Construction should begin soon on a project designed to stabilize the banks and walls along Dunbar Creek, as well as assist with flood control, following several decades of planning. When completed, the Dunbar Creek Channel project will cover the areas between the Connellsville Street Bridge and East Railroad Street, according to officials from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Borough council met recently during a special meeting with officials from Fay-Penn Industrial Development Corporation regarding a lease agreement between both parties to access a section of property along the railroad owned by Fay-Penn where part of the project will take place.
John Repetz, DEP information specialist, said the proposed project is intended to reduce erosion and improve flow conditions in Dunbar Creek along 1.20 acres.
The project involves the construction of roughly 211 feet of reinforced concrete retaining wall along the right bank of the creek between the railroad bridge owned by Fay-Penn near Connellsville Street and the abandoned railroad bridge abutment near Bridge Street.
Additionally, the contractor will install reinforced concrete arch pipe under the Fay-Penn railroad embankment just north of East Railroad Street that requires the removal of an existing culvert, inlet and outlet structures that will be replaced.
A channel will also be constructed to help with water runoff.
The final stage of the project involves removing an abandoned railroad masonry pier from the center of the creek to eliminate an obstruction that could catch debris and aggravate flooding conditions.
The DEP noted construction on the project is estimated to be completed within seven months from the time ground is broken.
Repetz said funding
for this project
was originally provided in 1974.
The project design and construction will be funded through the
c
ommonwealth
‘s c
apital
b
udget, with the
total cost projected at $771,000.
The borough is responsible for costs of the required land acquisition. The DEP’s Bureau of Waterways Engineering designs and constructs flood protection, channel improvement and other water resource related projects throughout the commonwealth.
Repetz further added l
and acquisition has been the major
reason why for the project’s delay along with d
ifficulties in achieving agreement of acquisition documents between the DEP, the Borough, private property owners and the railroad.
The project is currently scheduled for construction in Spring 2011 while some land acquisition documents are still pending.
In an unrelated matter, council agreed to a proposal it received last month from McMillen Engineering Co. of Uniontown for the installation of a public bus shelter that would be owned and operated by Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation (FACT).
The shelter would be located beyond the railroad tracks near the ticket booth providing it doesn’t interfere with the creek channel project.
Dunbar was selected as one of 18 places in Fayette County, according to a study by McMillen, that determined the need for additional shelters for FACT’s patrons based on expansion of the public transit system and increased ridership.
Turning to other business, council agreed to accept a $2,750 credit from X-Treme Klean Inc. of Ohio to omit top soil and seeding in the area of the former Bollinger building that was razed by the company in April.
Tammy Nedrow, borough secretary, said the area has been used for temporary parking with a number of residents requesting it remain that way.
For that reason, council discussed the possibility of eliminating parking along Connellsville Street, but took no action on the matter.
Council did agree however name the alley between Veterans Street and Memorial Street as Veterans Way. In a separate street issue, the request from several residents to make Connellsville Street Extension a one-way street is pending a decision by council until a police study is conducted.