Donora council approves loan for public works facility
Donora council approved borrowing money to help fund a new public works facility Thursday.
Council voted 5 to 2 to borrow up to $750,000 to complete the facility. The action was necessary to offset a shortfall in local share account grant funding. Voting in favor of the motion were Jim Brice, DeAnne Pavelko, Roderick Wilson, Michelle Kitchens and Mark Bizzell-Boyer. Dissenting were council President Casey Perrotta and Neil Rands.
Perrotta said the plans are too preliminary to vote on a loan.
“We don’t have any type of site plans,” he said. “We don’t have any drawings. We’re just going off of verbal information. I am all for building the public works facility. … I think it’s too preliminary to make that type of decision. If we had something to show council how it’s going to be, I probably would have voted yes.”
The borough has been looking to build a larger public works garage. The current building at Donora Industrial Park does not have enough space to house some of the borough’s equipment. Two new facilities will be built on a lot off of Scott Street Extension near 13th Street – a storage facility for equipment, as well as a building for maintenance operations that would include office space and locker rooms.
Borough Administrator Mike Thornton said a final cost has not been determined, but estimates are between $1.5 million to $1.6 million.
“We’re just estimating where we need to be,” he said. “(The loan) will give us about $1.63 million. … It all depends on costs. Everyone’s concerned that there will be material increases. We’re replacing the existing building with a metal building.”
The borough has about $880,000 for the project, generated through LSA grants and money set aside by the borough.
Council also approved hiring McGrew Construction Services to repair the roof of the former Donora Elementary Center at a price of $12,500.
The school closed at the end of the 2010-11 school year, and the borough purchased the building in 2014 for $20,000.
Proposals for use of the building have included senior housing, a community center and a charter school, but the building remains vacant.
Council also approved motions to create a resolution to establish rental and usage fees for Deacon Dan Towler Pavilion at Palmer Park at $200, plus a refundable $50 deposit fee, and another to establish new rental and usage fees for the soccer fields at Palmer Park at $250 per season, along with a $300 rental fee for tournaments. There also would be a $200 rental fee for use of the concession stand.
Also Thursday, a town hall meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. April 23 in the borough building to obtain feedback from residents.
“It’s a chance for people to tell us what they want, and we can explain to them what it would take for them to get what they want,” said Mayor Don Pavelko.