Mayview mining saga continues
Aloe Brothers, LLC has filed for an appeal of the South Fayette Township Zoning Hearing Board’s denial of the company’s request to mine coal at the site of the former Mayview State Hospital in the township.
The appeal was filed with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 13, said Jonathan Kamin, solicitor for South Fayette Township at a Jan. 15 board of commissioners meeting.
Aloe Brothers purchased the property along Mayview Road in 2010 for $505,000 and in September requested a special exception to allow mining at the site and also challenged the validity of a portion of South Fayette’s zoning ordinance for B-1 (business) districts.
That request was denied at a Dec. 9 zoning hearing board in a vote that ended in a 1-1 tie with former member John Alan Kosky recusing himself.
No meetings or hearings regarding the appeal have been scheduled yet. In another matter, the township is in negotiations with Aloe Brothers to acquire a portion of the former Mayview property near Fairview Park.
Other business:
• Commissioners unanimously approved the 2014 fee resolution for the township. The resolution includes several fee increases, such as permitting fees for buildings and signs. The fee resolution also includes an application fee of $5,000 for oil and gas development with an additional $25,000 that must be paid to the township and placed into an escrow account.
At the request of township administration, the board included language in the resolution that stated at the township’s discretion, all or part of the fees may be waived if the application is related to a mining clean-up project.
• During the public comment portion of the meeting, new township tax collector Anne Friday Beck requested help from the township in acquiring a new software system. She said the previous tax collector, Kevin Biber has not turned anything over to her as of yet and she is going to need to purchase new software to get up and running.
She said she negotiated a price of $5,000 for the tax software and is asking the township to pay a portion of that cost relative to the millage. Beck said the cost to the township would be about $617. She is requesting the school district pay the remainder as the schools tax at a higher millage rate.
“I’m going to have to buy that software. I have to do it to do my job,” Beck said. “It’s great software. We need a better system because this is a growing community.”
The board asked Beck to give the township something in writing as to what she needs. Beck will also be meeting with representatives from the school district regarding the matter.
• The board voted to advertise for three vacancies on the Board of Standards. The board hears appeals regarding building code issues. The township is also looking for a resident to fill an alternate position on the zoning hearing board. Interested residents should call the township at 412-221-8700.