FARRELL PennDOT approves new sidewalk to schools complex

One councilman said the sidewalk design is putting children in harm's way.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- A long-awaited sidewalk along Mercer Avenue designed to make it safer for children from Wheatland to walk to the Farrell schools complex on Roemer Boulevard could soon become a reality.
Part of the walkway has already been built in Wheatland and a consulting engineer said Farrell's portion of the job, about three blocks long, has already been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
All that is needed is for Farrell to submit a formal application for a PennDOT Enhancement Grant by the end of the day Thursday, said Ed Winslow of Winslow Engineering Inc. of Hermitage.
The lack of a sidewalk along Mercer Avenue, a direct walking access to the Farrell school complex for Wheatland children who attend Farrell schools, was one issue raised by a group of Wheatland residents who wanted the Wheatland to secede from the Farrell school system.
Backers of the secession movement, which has so far been unsuccessful, said there have been promises of a sidewalk on Mercer Avenue for years but nothing was ever done.
Filed application
Wheatland took matters into its own hands and filed a project application with PennDOT, winning approval for a sidewalk all the way from Chestnut Street in Wheatland to Shenango Boulevard in Farrell.
Unfortunately, there was only enough grant money to complete the portion from Chestnut Street to the Farrell line at Patton Avenue, Winslow told council.
There is another round of state grant funding available that has set aside about $360,000 for Mercer County projects, and the completion of the Mercer Avenue sidewalk is the only project in Mercer County ready to go immediately, Winslow said.
The job will cost about $280,000, he said.
Council voted 6-1 to file an application for the funds with Councilman Lou Falconi casting the dissenting vote.
Falconi said he favors the sidewalk idea but has serious reservations about this design which puts the sidewalk right alongside the roadway.
"It's a death trap," he said, pointing out that cars and trucks "fly" up and down that section of Mercer Avenue.
Is it a risk?
Putting a sidewalk right next to the travel portion of the road is risky, he said, adding, "I can't believe PennDOT would even let that happen."
Winslow said the project has been reviewed by PennDOT and meets all of its safety criteria.
Council members Helen Marenchin and Mark Petrillo pointed out that some Wheatland students are walking directly on Mercer Avenue and a sidewalk would get them out of the street.
Gerald Multari, street department superintendent, said Farrell has a sanitary-sewer line running right under where the sidewalk would be built that is in bad shape and needs to be repaired.
Fixing the sewer line would be covered in the project grant, Winslow said.
Mayor William Morocco and Councilmen Robert Burich, Rudolph Hammond and the Rev. Jeannette Hooks joined Petrillo and Marenchin in voting to file the grant application.