MERCER COUNTY Officials approve bid for bridge, OK plan to train new jail guards

Sharpsville officials were critical of a decision about an abatement.
BY MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. -- Mercer County commissioners accepted the lowest of five bids opened in April for construction of a bridge on Lynnwood Drive in Hermitage.
County Engineer Mark Miller said he expects work to begin within two weeks. The successful bidder was Marricco Construction Co. of McMurray, Pa., which had offered to do the job for $308,684.
Commissioners also approved an agreement with West Central Job Partnership, Inc., New Castle, for on-the-job training for newly hired correctional officers at the Mercer County Jail. Training will begin once the county hires four part-time female and two part-time male jail guards. The original list of 160 applicants has been narrowed to 40 but no final decisions have been made.
Once hired, guards must undergo drug and background check and psychological testing. Then they must take four to six weeks of in-house training and four weeks of training at a state correctional facility. Warden Jeff Gill said that grant help is available to the county to pay the cost of training new employees who meet income standards.
Looking ahead
Commissioners said even more officers will be needed in about two years when the new county jail opens. Commissioner Olivia Lazor said those interested in those openings should apply now. Under county policy, veterans get a preference in hiring.
Also Thursday, commissioners approved a tax abatement for certain areas of Sharpsville. Although Sharpsville had wanted a 100-percent tax abatement for five years, commissioners approved only a three-year abatement to be consistent with what has been given others in the past.
Afterward, Sharpsville officials were critical of the commissioners' decision not to support a 10-year abatement plan approved by both the borough council and Sharpsville Area School Board.
About borough plan
The borough plan calls for a 100-percent abatement for five years, 90 percent in the sixth, 70 percent in the seventh, 50 percent in the eighth, 30 percent in the ninth and 10 percent in the 10th.
The county version covers only six years, offering a 100-percent abatement for the first three years, 75 percent in the fourth, 50 percent in the fifth and 25 percent in the sixth.
In other business, commissioners agreed to pay Donald Unangst of Hermitage $3,000 to handle paperwork for securing agricultural conservation easements for the Mercer County Agricultural Land Preservation Board.
Farmers can apply for the easements in which the state and county pay the owner in return for an agreement that the land can be used only for farming. Eligible lands are those that might attract commercial development.