GIRARD Presale of vaults to pay for mausoleum

The Corps of Engineers says dam alternatives will be investigated.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- City council agreed without comment Monday to advertise for bids to build a mausoleum in Girard Cemetery.
City sexton Brian Maynard told council in August that because there is no more room in the city-owned cemetery for in-ground burials and land is expensive to buy, burying the dead above ground is a viable alternative.
Maynard said the cost of construction and a lift to place bodies in a multilevel mausoleum is $106,000.
The initial outlay for the financially strapped city can be generated through presale of vaults.
Maynard said after Monday's council meeting would-be buyers have been unwilling to make a commitment until council took some action, such as advertising for bids.
Study of dam
Council also moved to a second reading a measure authorizing an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers concerning Lower Girard Lake dam.
At the urging of Charles Doran, D-4th, the agreement will not include partial breaching of the deteriorating dam.
Col. Raymond E. Scrocco, head of the corps' Pittsburgh district, informed Mayor James A. Melfi on Oct. 21 he was giving the city three months to develop a plan for reconstruction of the dam.
Scrocco also has agreed to a three-month extension of a $1.14 million grant designated for dam work.
The colonel wrote that alternatives to breaching the dam will be investigated that will allow the city to rebuild the dam later.
The study will take about 45 days.
Rental inspections
The health department, meanwhile, asked lawmakers to increase fees on inspections of rental properties and on occupancy permits.
The city charges a one-time $50 registration fee for the first rental unit in a building, plus $10 for each additional unit.
Landlords are also required to pay a $12-per-unit occupancy permit fee.
Health board chairman William Ague called for an increase so staff can be hired to run the program and so it can become self-sufficient.
Inspections are done by the health commissioner.
Ague suggested that two part-time inspectors and a clerk be hired.
There are between 2,000 and 2,500 rentals. Landlords must get an occupancy permit after having their rental inspected in order to change the name on a water account.
Those who own large apartment complexes, Ague noted, pay one water bill and the units aren't inspected.
No action was taken; council, the administration and health department officials are expected to form a committee to look into increased fees.
yovich@vindy.com