State grants announced in county
WAYNESBURG – Plans to open property at the Greene County Airport for commercial development received a boost Tuesday with the award of a $500,000 state grant to help cover the costs of a new airport entrance road.
The grant approved by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority, will provide a new entrance to the airport from Route 21 at Murtha Drive, creating a new four-way intersection at Murtha Drive and Route 21.
“The airport project is an investment by Greene County officials in the long-term economic growth of the region,” said state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, who with state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, announced the grant award.
“I am pleased that we were able to convince state economic development officials of the wisdom of the project and the soundness of the investment,” he said.
The engineering design for the new intersection and airport entrance has already been prepared for the county by Pennoni Associates.
Robbie Matesic, executive director of the county’s Department of Economic Development, said the project is expected to be bid before the end of the year, provided everything goes smoothly in preparing information for the permit needed from the state Department of Transportation.
The entrance road project is estimated to cost $1.3 million. Matesic said the county has applied for additional funding for the work. The project also will include pavement widening and curbing along Route 21, drainage improvement and the creation of room for pedestrians.
“Local officials have worked hard to get this project shovel ready and I’m pleased that the work has been acknowledged by approval of the grant,” Snyder said. “I am a strong believer that the airport can be the center of economic growth and new jobs for the region.”
The county commissioners last week also awarded a contract to Pennoni to design a new access road inside the airport property. The road will run roughly parallel to Route 21, west to the three, two-acre parcels that will be prepared for commercial development and east to the administration building and a new parking lot.
The project also has involved the demolition of the four existing airplane hangars west of the administrative building to create space for commercial development and construction of a new 20,280 square foot, T-hangar east of the administration building.
The PCFA also approved a $125,000 grant for the Lower Ten Mile Joint Sewer Authority under the Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewer Program. The money will be used to upgrade the aerators on the wastewater treatment plant to allow the plant to be more energy efficient, said Bob Dengler of Gannett Fleming, authority engineer.