Sharpsburg awards paving contract, welcomes new public works laborer

Sharpsburg officials plan to spend about $133,000 to repave a pair of roads this fall.

Council unanimously voted to award paving contracts to Donora-based El Grande Industries on Aug. 28.

Roads to be repaired are Ali Street and Penn Street, from School t0 Ninth streets.

Borough Manager Christine DeRunk said Sharpsburg budgeted about $125,000 for paving this year. The financial gap will be closed via the borough’s capital improvements fund.

A construction start date was not announced.

Public works foreman Mark Marshall said he expects the work to take about a week, weather permitting.

The department used a new tool this year to help with street evaluations, a Vialytics road management system.

“It mounts to the front of the truck and it takes pictures of the roadways,” Marshall said. “It grades them and we use that information to decide which streets to do first and how to handle them.”

Council in February authorized the Vialytics purchase at a cost of about $5,000.

Crews drove on all borough streets earlier this year and Ali and Penn streets were identified as the most in need of repair.

Marshall said the system is a great tool for catching deficiencies that the naked eye cannot.

“I can see so much with my eyes, but with a computer taking a picture every half a second and analyzing it with AI is just way better,” he said. “They can see a lot more than I can.”

Council also unanimously voted to spend up to $18,550 to install two storm inlets at Linden and Penn streets prior to paving. A company to do the work was not formally announced.

DeRunk said the project is under the state threshold requiring a public bidding process. She said the borough is obtaining quotes.

Other public works business

Council ratified the hiring of public works laborer Colten McDermott of Brackenridge at $27 per hour.

Marshall said he is familiar with McDermott and worked with him on various projects in Armstrong County.

McDermott was a part of a concrete labor union and has extensive knowledge in construction and related work, according to Marshall.

“I’m excited to have him on the team,” Marshall said. “He’s an asset to the team. I don’t know concrete, so I look forward to learning that aspect from him.”

McDermott fills the vacancy created by the departure of laborer Dominic Magnelli earlier this year.

DeRunk also commended McDermott’s services to Sharpsburg. He had been on the job for about a week before the council meeting.

McDermott’s addition brings the public works department back to three full-timers, including Marshall. The other worker is Frank Bagnato.

“It’s great to be back to a full crew,” Marshall said.

Support given for state solar law

Council passed a resolution supporting House Bill 504, the Community Energy Act, which would authorize community solar facilities to interconnect with the power grid.

The legislation has already passed the state House on a bipartisan basis.

Its prime sponsor is Democratic Rep. Peter Schweyer of Allentown.

Councilman Dave Breingan said community energy facilities allow customers to choose the source of their electricity, including customers who desire to purchase solar energy but do not have suitable conditions to install their own solar panels and related equipment.

People would be able to subscribe to the community solar service and get credit on their electric bills for having solar power, should the bill become law.

Breingan said about half of the borough’s roofs are not viable for their own solar facility.

“It just makes essentially community-owned solar facilities more possible,” Beingan said. “Right now in Pennsylvania, there’s basically no authorization allowed to go through the grid. … This has been languishing in Harrisburg for 10 years while all the states around us have taken the steps to pass this.”

Beingan said community solar facilities would help residents save on their utility bills, benefit the environment and promote economic development and jobs.