Peters Township to apply for additional aquatic center funding
Peters Township Council continues its efforts to fund a proposed aquatic center at Rolling Hills Park.
At their meeting Monday, council members unanimously approved moving ahead with filing an application for the next round of grants through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Natural Resources.
Township Manager Paul Lauer announced at a Jan. 3 meeting that the township received $631,000 through the program.
The township applied for a $500,000 grant through the Washington County Local Share Account last October, and reaffirmed its interest after three new council members were sworn in at the start of the year.
Peters also received a $2 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The grants require a dollar-for-dollar match from the township.
Council rejected bids on the aquatic center last May when they came in higher than the $10 million budgeted for the project. They have since revised the specifications.
Also at Monday’s meeting, council unanimously expressed its support for a lawsuit filed by multiple Allegheny County municipalities in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court to stop the state Department of Transportation’s plans for tolling the Interstate 79 bridge at the Bridgeville exchange.
The lawsuit is being brought by South Fayette Township, Bridgeville and Collier Township.
“For the people in South Fayette, Bridgeville and Collier, this is a real concern … There is a lot of traffic that travels on that road, some of which, of course, comes from Peters Township. We’ve been asked by these communities to support their effort in opposition to the tolling of this road,” Lauer said.
PennDOT’s plan would see drivers in both the southbound and northbound lanes of I-79 tolled as they cross the bridge. The plans also call for an additional lane in each direction. The tolls could cost $1 or $2, though a final price has not been determined
PennDOT, PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian and the state’s Public-Private Transportation Partnership (P3) are defendants in the lawsuit.
PennDOT also plans to toll eight additional bridges in Pennsylvania. The agency claims it is necessary so revenue from the state’s gas tax can be used to repair local roads, and that the tax is no longer adequate to pay for transportation needs.
Attorney John Smith, who represents the trio of municipalities suing PennDOT, was present at Monday’s meeting. He said arguments will be made in court in Pittsburgh on May 16.