SHARON Bridge contractor faces a deadline

Construction of the bridge was halted one year ago because of alignment problems.
BY MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- County Engineer Mark Miller told Mercer County commissioners Thursday that the contractor for the Oakland Avenue Bridge project in Sharon has been ordered to have a plan to straighten the bridge by Dec. 31.
Commissioner Olivia Lazor said daily fines will be imposed if the deadline is not met.
Miller told commissioners that the months of analysis of the problem with the bridge are done and the problem was determined to be that six of eight pedestals were "out of specification." He said state officials have recommended that the contractor straighten the structure and said the contractor, Carmen Paliotta Contracting of Library, Pa., has promised to have a plan for doing this by the end of the year.
Alignment problem
Construction of the bridge was halted one year ago because of alignment problems with the base of a steel arch. The viaduct spans the Shenango Valley Freeway in Sharon. Engineers have been trying to determine whether the long-term durability of the bridge would be affected because of the misalignment before deciding whether to allow work to continue.
Miller said that he has heard critics ask why the misalignment was not discovered earlier by officials charged with inspecting the work. But he said the flaw was discovered as soon as it could have been.
Lease agreements
Also Thursday, commissioners agreed to enter several lease agreements with Cattron Communications, Sharpsville, and SpectraSite Broadcast Towers Inc., Irving, Texas, for installation of microwave communication equipment for county emergency communications. The lease agreements total $31,800 annually.
County Emergency Services Director Jim Thompson said the county had considered building its own towers but the approximate $225,000 cost was prohibitive.
He said the new microwave communications, which will save many long-distance fees, "will pay for itself in short order." It will also make possible video arraignments from district justice offices without paying the high phone costs involved because of the county's several area codes.
Commissioners also approved the purchase of $15,765 worth of software from Infocom Corporation for microfilming county records.
They awarded a contract to Lucas Carpets & amp; Installations of Sharon for labor costs to install carpet in the courthouse at $6 per square yard as part of the courthouse restoration project. Administrative Services Director Bill Boyle said Lucas was the only company that bid on the job. The carpet was purchased from Patcraft, a Georgia firm.
They agreed to enter a service provider agreement with Alternative Behavioral Services, North Oak, Va., for care and treatment of a mentally retarded 11-year-old sex offender.
Beverly Burrows of Children and Youth Services said this is the such first out-of-state placement but said it was necessary because few facilities will take such children.
She said that while grants will pay the $497 daily cost of care, the county will purchase a $204 airplane ticket to fly the youth's mother to see him once a month. The mother will pay for her own hotel and meals, Burrows said.