Sharon waits to see who will attend viaduct meeting

SHARON, Pa. -- City officials are still waiting to find out if the Mercer County commissioners will attend a council meeting Thursday to discuss the status of the Oakland Avenue Viaduct.
The county owns the bridge, which is being replaced by Carmen Paliotta Contracting Inc. of Library, Pa. The project, which was to be completed in November 2001, remains unfinished.
The county has said a misalignment in the bridge that caused work to be halted is Paliotta's fault. Paliotta blames the county for the delays.
City council invited county officials and the contractor to a public session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to get a clearer picture of where things stand, but they may not get representatives of either.
A letter from Paliotta's attorney blaming the county for the delays surfaced earlier this week, prompting the county commissioners to reconsider appearing at the Sharon forum.
Gene Brenneman, chairman of the board of commissioners, said they were to decide Tuesday on attending but that the decision has been delayed until today.
Paliotta's attorney said his client will appear, but only if the county has no objections.