Monday, September 29, 2003
The city is getting federal and private money for three new police cars.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The design for a new Grant Street bridge should start soon, but residents say they want something done now for pedestrians who want to use the existing structure.
"I'm concerned about the safety of our children who have been put on the back burner because they are forced to go around the bypass or climb over the barriers," said the Rev. Gary Clark of Etna Street.
The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic for several years and most recently to walkers because of vandalism.
City officials talked last spring about repairing a portion of the bridge for pedestrians, but the mayor has yet to tell workers to start.
Council agreed in May to the work that was estimated to cost $1,200 to $5,000.
Mayor Timothy Fulkerson was not present at Thursday's meeting.
Councilwoman Christine Sands said she believed there were some insurance issues that had to be cleared up before work was done and also that vandalism of street lights was a concern.
Building plans
But on Thursday, city council did approve an agreement with RAR Engineering to complete all necessary work leading up to construction of a new bridge. That work should take about 18 months to two years, said John DiMuccio, city administrator.
Building the new bridge will then take about another year or two, DiMuccio said.
Federal money has been promised to pay for the engineering and construction work. About $500,000 is available for the preliminary work, and construction is expected to cost about $3 million to $3.5 million. The city is required to pay 5 percent of the cost.
In other business, the city is getting $30,329 from the U.S. Department of Justice to buy a new police cruiser. Another $70,000 has been promised by Jameson Hospital to buy two more police cars, DiMuccio said.