Belle Vernon council OKs road paving project
BELLE VERNON – Council gave its approval to move forward with the borough’s long-awaited street paving project.
During its monthly meeting Tuesday, council voted to authorize the state Department of Transportation to prepare a contract for paving of Market Street, Blind Land, Johnson Avenue, Chestnut Street, Mulberry Street, Poastal Alley, Wood Street, Pleasant Alley, Third Street and Long Alley.
Other streets will be repaved during the second phase of the project. No date was available for when the borough will put out bids for contractors or when the road paving will begin.
In other business, the council:
n Approved the municipal winter traffic services agreement between the state and the borough
n Voted to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for storm and sewer repairs at Fifth Street and Blind Lane and the paving of Blind Lane
n Voted to apply for a grant to conduct a feasibility study that will identify long-range goals for the borough
n Voted to advertise for a school crossing guard
n Hired Craig West as a part-time street worker
n Approved a raise of $2 per hour for Michele Mackey Harris, secretary for the borough
n Authorized the mayor to apply for a $17,000 Local Share Account grant to make improvements to J.E. Ted Kuhn Park. Jackson said the borough hopes to add a walking trail that could also serve as an access road for emergency vehicles.
Also, during the meeting, representatives from the Mon Valley Jeep Emergency Rescue Team delivered a presentation about services the organization provides to municipalities. MV JERT is a group of Jeep owners who have specialized training in the areas of rescue and recovery and first aid. According to MV JERT representative Doug Hoover, the organization offers assistance to the community as well as local public safety entities by offering a means of access to areas where a four-wheel drive vehicle is required.