No decision on mining at Mayview
South Fayette Township’s three-member zoning hearing board voted on Nov. 20 to postpone any action on whether to allow mining at the former Mayview State Hospital site.
After convening the meeting, Thomas Ayoob, solicitor for the board, announced the board would go into an executive session. The board did not return for about an hour-and-a-half.
Upon return, Ayoob stated a decision on the matter will be rendered at a meeting to be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 in the auditorium of South Fayette Middle School.
Aloe Brothers, LLC owns the former hospital property along Mayview Road. In September, Aloe Brothers requested a special exception to allow mining at the site and also challenged the validity of a section of the township’s zoning ordinance for B-1 (business) districts.
Aloe Brothers wants the ability to mine coal on about 37 acres of the property and plans on building a business park at the site in the future. Based upon sampling conducted at the site, it is estimated that there is about 330,000 tons of coal that could be mined on the property. The coal is part of the Pittsburgh Coal Seam.
While the Zoning Hearing Board was in executive session, the South Fayette Township Board of Commissioners was simultaneously conducting a continued business meeting.
During the meeting, the board voted to appoint two new members to the Zoning Hearing Board: Joseph Gagliardino and Renee Bennett. Their terms will begin in January and run for three years. They will replace current Zoning Hearing Board members Fred Cardillo and John Alan Kosky, whose terms expire at the end of the year. Steven Knuckles was appointed as an alternate member on the Zoning Hearing Board and his term will run through December 2015.
Charles Rothermel was appointed to a seat on the Municipal Authority Board with a term that will run through December 2018.
The commissioners also discussed a grant application that the South Fayette School District will submit regarding employing a school resource officer on campus. Township manager Ryan Eggleston said the board decided to try to form a subcommittee to meet with school directors and administrators regarding the matter.
At a meeting of the South Fayette School Board, Aaron Skrbin, assistant principal at the high school, said the maximum amount awarded would be about $60,000 the first year and then the grant would automatically renew for the next year in the amount of $30,000 with the district not needing to reapply.