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Fayette County Courthouse employee parking lot collapses

By Alyssa Choiniere achoiniere@heraldstandard.Com 2 min read
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Alyssa Choiniere | Herald-Standard

A C&J Welding & Construction employee gives a thumbs up as another worker removes the first concrete chunk from a parking lot cave-in along Penn Street in Uniontown Tuesday afternoon. The lot, which collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, was part of the Fayette County Courthouse employee parking area.

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Alyssa Choiniere

C & J Welding and Construction President Jason Foster places a rope on a concrete chunk for removal after a parking lot along Penn Street in Uniontown collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The parking lot was a part of the Fayette County Courthouse employee parking area.

A Uniontown parking lot, which Fayette County commissioners were seeking funds to restore, collapsed at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, said Fayette County Commissioner Dave Lohr.

The parking lot was closed from use for about one year because of visible structural problems, said Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites. The collapsed area is adjacent to the Uniontown City Police Department and Fayette County Booking Center on Penn Street and Redstone Creek.

No injuries were reported, and no cars were on the lot at the time of the collapse.

“God’s hand was on it. He left it go at the right time,” Lohr said.

The county accepted a bid from C&J Welding and Construction of Smithfield. C&J Welding President Jason Foster said the bid was for between $18,000 and $19,000. Additional costs will be saved as part of a materials give-back plan.

He expected part the first portion of the project would be finished Wednesday afternoon.

For risk of flash flooding, Lohr said that cleanup is a priority. Redstone Creek was flowing slowly between large chunks of concrete.

Vicites said that while plans have not yet been finalized, the former parking lot will probably be fenced off and turned into an open creek area.

Lohr said the county was seeking funding for rehabilitation of the parking lot, along with other projects on the three county buildings: the Fayette County Public Safety building, the Fayette County Federal Building and the courthouse. The parking lot is considered part of the courthouse property.

Lohr said these rehabilitation projects are necessary to “get pride back into our buildings.”

He pointed to rusted I-beams, now visible after the collapse.

“Age and deterioration,” he said. “It gets us all.”

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