LAWRENCE COUNTY Officials aim for accessibility to center

The state will reimburse the county for most of the costs.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County officials are looking to make the county government center more accessible to traffic.
Commissioners expect to hire Dan McCowan of Volant to appraise two properties owned by Patricia LiBrandi situated between East Washington and Milton streets. Commissioner Brian Burick said the county is interested in extending Milton Street to East Washington Street to allow better access in and out of the government center.
Burick said it is difficult for traffic leaving the courthouse to turn left onto East Washington Street because of poor visibility.
Commissioners said they didn't know how much they would pay McCowan but will have that number by Tuesday, when they're scheduled to vote on hiring him. Burick noted that the state has agreed to reimburse the county for his fee and would pay for the work needed to extend the street.
The county will have to pay to demolishing the two buildings on the property.
Government study report
In other business, commissioners say they don't want to go along with a request by the county government study commission to distribute the commission's report in the county newsletter.
The government study commission spent the last nine months studying the structure of county government.
The nine-member group is recommending the county change from three county commissioners and other elected officials to a county council with a hired professional manager. All other elected offices would become appointed, except for the controller and district attorney. Voters will decide if the change will take place.
County commissioners say they don't want to share space in their quarterly newsletter with the study commission.
"This is the commissioners' communication, not the study commission's communication," Commissioner Ed Fosnaught said.
Commissioners Roger DeCarbo and Burick agreed that the commission should send out its own mailing on the report.