Oct 13, 2016 3 min read

MONONGAHELA – The Mounds area of Monongahela today is a well-known recreation area, but at one time it housed the second-largest American Indian burial mound in the eastern part of the United States. In the late 1800s, the eight-foot burial mound was excavated by the Smithsonian Institution.

Jim Greenwood, a member of the Rostraver Historical Society, has been working for several years to install a historical exhibit of this cultural history, and he updated Monongahela Council on Wednesday about the project. Work is expected to begin today and be finished in a few weeks.

The permanent exhibit will consist of an enclosed display of artifacts found in the original Crall burial mound of the Adena people. A two-foot, scale model, burial mound will be constructed and a historical marker will be placed at the site. The project, which will cost about $3,500 and is being funded by Greenwood, will be completed with help from the city road department, the Rostraver Township Historical Society and the Washington County Historical Society.

“This is about bringing a relevant cultural history to show people the local history of the indigenous people that lived here,” said Greenwood.

In other business, Dave Frye of Lawrence Street complained about council’s decision to use the FiberMat product as a cost-effective way to pave more streets.

“A main street should have never been tarred and chipped,” he said of the work on his street. “I couldn’t go outside. The dust was so bad, I was hacking and coughing. I couldn’t even open the windows.”

He added that he was sick from the dust and missed three days of work. Not only was the dust heavy, Frye said, but a manhole that had been marked was paved over.

Councilman Ken Kulak said that the decision to use FiberMat, which is described on its website as a pavement preservation technique, was made so the borough’s limited funds could be used to fix more roads.

“I wasn’t ever in favor of tar and chipping. This was supposed to be a smaller aggregate with a base that adhered the stone,” he explained. “I’m still not totally convinced on this product. I want to see how it holds up through the season.”

Council also opened waste collection bids. The city received bids for the five years of waste collection from County Hauling, Bigs Sanitation and Advance Disposal. Council tabled the bids and is expected to make a decision at the next council meeting.

Monongahela City Police Chief Brian Tempest also reported that the contract for police protection with Finleyville Borough has been renewed for 10 years. Monongahela has been providing police services to Finleyville since 1997.

It was also announced that the annual Halloween Parade will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 and trick or treat will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29.