Looking back
A look at some of the headlines gracing the pages of the Observer-Reporter and Waynesburg Republican this week in Greene County history:
Gas drilling affecting traffic on area roads
An increase in heavy truck traffic throughout Greene County has prompted the state Department of Transportation to impose new weight restrictions on a number of state roads.
The department ran public notices in this newspaper Tuesday indicating it intended to establish 10-ton weight limits on sections of 44 state roads in the county.
PennDOT decided to impose new weight limits on the roads because of damage and excessive “wear and tear” caused by an increase in heavy truck traffic, PennDOT spokeswoman Valerie Peterson said.
Truck traffic has increased in part because of natural gas drilling being done throughout the county, she said.
Though other counties also are seeing drilling activity, damage to state roads has been particularly evident in Greene County, she said.
As part of the process to establish new weight limits, the department first conducted engineering studies to determine which roads warranted a 10-ton weight limit, Peterson said.
Floodwaters cut off travel, pour into homes
WAYNESBURG – Motorists had to find creative ways around the water Wednesday, as about 3 inches of rain fell on Greene County, flooding numerous creeks and roads.
Some people were stuck in Waynesburg after flooding along Ten Mile Creek made it impossible to enter or exit the county from any direction other than the north.
Route 21 east and west of the borough was closed most of the day due to flooding from Ten Mile Creek. Route 218 South was impassable because of flooding, as well as a mudslide. For a time, Route 19 was the only viable way to get to Waynesburg.
“There’s going to be people in some places who just can’t get home. They just can’t avoid the water,” said John Stewart, highway foreman for the state Department of Transportation’s hub in Waynesburg.
Problems caused by the heavy rains were widespread but appear to have affected the central part of the county particularly hard, said Jeff Marshall, director of the county’s emergency management services.
“Essentially, we’ve had problems everywhere. Anywhere there is a low-lying area, the water is up,” he said.
County to gain $11 million under new coal assessment
WAYNESBURG – Greene County’s new method of assessing coal where appeals have been taken will have a significant impact on the property tax base of many of the county’s 20 townships and five school districts.
The extent of that impact has been determined by county coal assessor John Cole in calculating the effect of giving added value to coal that is being mined, while reducing the value of reserve coal where no mining is under way.
The new system will result in a gain of $10.9 million in the total assessed value of property in Greene County, raising it to $164.6 million.
Pool renovation suggested
Representatives of the Greene County Recreation Authority informed commissioners the pool has deteriorated to the point where it cannot be opened next summer unless major repairs have first been made.
Samuel P. Weaver and Mary Collins said the cost of rebuilding the existing pool and adding a new section is estimated at $53,033. To rebuild the pool as it now is would cost an estimated $46,165.