(8/6) The State of Pennsylvania has reportedly denied a shopping center project, slated to be built in Hamiltonban Township, funding for road work proposed in conjunction with the project.
Township Solicitor Matthew Battersby told the township Board of Supervisors at their August 5 meeting that grants that had been applied for proposed road work at the future Iron Springs Plaza had been denied because the state said the grants sought could not be used on state roadways.
The funding denied would have been applied to "traffic realignment improvements" at the Route 116 and Iron Springs Road intersection.
According to township officials, the project was estimated to cost around $2.5 million, of which 70 percent of the price tag was being sought via a state Department of Transportation Multimodal Transportation Discretionary Grant and a state Department of Economic Development Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant.
The Hamiltonban Township Board of Supervisors had voted to approve seeking funding to help with road realignment in conjunction with a proposed shopping center at their June 3 meeting.
Realtor and developer David Sites, David L. Sites Realty Leasing & Management, Gettysburg, is proposing to construct the Iron Springs Plaza shopping center on a 17-acre tract located at the intersection of Iron Springs and Fairfield (Route 116) roads.
In other business, it was reported that a municipal maintenance building less than a year old had begun to leak at a number of locations in the roofing, as well as below the bay doors.
The maintenance facility, and the associated fueling station and salt sheds, cost around $1.5 million, according to township Supervisor Chairman Robert L. Gordon. The complex was the subject of a ribbon cutting in September of last year.
The problematic building is located behind the current township offices on municipal property along Carrolls Tract Road, and houses township maintenance vehicles.
According to township Roadmaster John Harbaugh, Jr., although water was getting into the building from beneath the bay doors, the most important leaks in need of repair were on the roof. He said the leaks were mainly around where pipes and vents penetrated the roof.
The structure houses the township vehicle bays, and represented the first phase of an envisioned multi-phase effort to consolidate all of the township services, including a recreation park and township offices, to one central location.
Palmer Construction Company Inc., McConnellsburg, served as the general contractor on the facility project. Harbaugh told the News-Journal that the company was on-site on August 7 to initiate repairs to the roof.
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