Penn Township planning ahead for Pa. Turnpike interchange

Penn Township will request $20 million through a state grant program to put toward future capital projects, including the upcoming Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange on Route 130.

“We know that the turnpike interchange is coming,” township secretary/manager Mary Perez said. “In anticipation of any type of capital need or perhaps a building that may be taken due to the interchange … we’re just trying to get ahead of the curve and ask them to put this into the budget.”

The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program requires that organizations request the amount they think they will incur for capital projects within the next year. The township will submit grant applications for the money as the need arises.

The turnpike commission in October 2021 announced an interchange will be built at Route 130. It remains unclear when construction will start, but the commission anticipates work will not be finished before 2026.

Clubhouse vote tabled

Township commissioners tabled a vote on the construction of a new clubhouse at Blackthorne Estates housing plan.

In May, the township filed a lawsuit in Westmoreland County Court claiming that The Club at Blackthorne was initially approved for use as a clubhouse to accompany the nearby golf course. According to the lawsuit, clubhouse owners refused golfers access to the facility in November and it now operates as a private event space.

A status conference on the lawsuit is expected later this month.

Bedrock Developers, which is expanding the golf course to 18 holes, proposed building its own clubhouse for residents and other golfers. After hearing opinions from about 10 residents and a handful of other stakeholders —including Bedrock Developers owner Robert Vucelich — the commissioners tabled the issue.

It could be voted on at the next meeting on Aug. 16 in the Penn Township Municipal Building.