Export shifts federal grant priorities to address failing retaining wall

Export officials want to use federal grant money to repair a failing retaining wall along McKinley Avenue.

While that originally meant delaying the borough’s 2019 paving program, the borough may be able to get the wall done and one road paved thanks to an assist from Murrysville.

“The county requested that we remove our paving program and submit the McKinley wall as our CDBG application,” borough council President Barry Delissio said.

CDBG, or the federal Community Development Block Grant program, is administered locally through Westmoreland County.

Bids for the wall, opened at council’s April 2 meeting, ranged from just over $107,000 up to nearly $190,000. Delissio said the borough’s engineer will look over the bids and, once a contract is awarded, it will be submitted to county officials for payment through CDBG.

A walk up McKinley Avenue quickly reveals buckled pavement and a visible bend in the curbing along the wall, and snow fencing has been erected in areas where a chain-link fence has bent or broken.

Meanwhile, Calisti Drive in Export may get paved by Murrysville as part of that community’s 2019 paving program.

Export originally planned to pave Calisti and several other streets using CDGB money but not enough residents agreed to fill out federally mandated income surveys for the roads where work is proposed. That meant much of the paving could not be done with the CDGB money.

However, enough Calisti Drive residents returned the forms to make that road eligible. So, Murrysville may include that road in its own paving plan with Export then repaying Murrysville for the work.

Murrysville council is expected to vote on its 2019 road paving package on April 3.

The cost of paving Calisti, quoted at $13,500, would be paid out of Export’s liquid fuel funding allotment from the state.

Export Council also voted to award an $8,337 contract to Danmar Contracting for storm water management work along Calisti prior to any paving. That work would be paid for out of the borough’s general fund.