MERCER COUNTY Guard looking for another armory site

A wetlands problem prompted the National Guard to find a new site.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania National Guard's plan to build an armory on the southwest corner of Darby Road and U.S. Route 62 has hit a snag.
City Manager Gary Hinkson said the agency has determined that there are too many wetlands on the targeted site. It is looking for another location in the city.
The city had approved rezoning part of the Darby-Route 62 site in March for developer Daniel Leali, who said it was being targeted for the armory site.
Some environmental testing of the land, however, turned up some extensive wetlands on the property, prompting the guard to look elsewhere, Hinkson said.
The site was fine when the guard needed only about nine acres right at the corner of Darby and Route 62, but the agency decided to expand its plans and wanted 20 acres instead, and that encroached on wetlands further south along Darby Road, Hinkson said.
Guard representatives were in the city about a month ago looking for a new location and found several to their liking, although the Guard hasn't indicated to the city that it is targeting any specific spot at this point, Hinkson said.
The city is ready to buy the old armory on Pa. Route 18 adjacent to the city building. Hermitage would like to have it primarily for recreational uses.
Building an armory is a joint federal-state project, with the federal government putting up 75 percent of the expense.
A Guard spokesman said in November that the state has earmarked money for the project, but the federal government isn't expected to consider funding until 2005.