LAWRENCE COUNTY New Castle to file lien against park

The city is helping dissolve the New Castle Parking Authority.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- New Castle officials are preparing to file a mortgage lien against the owners of the Millennium Park project.
At a caucus Tuesday, city Solicitor Paula Cialella said the city signed two agreements with the Lawrence County Economic Development Corp. to help extend city sewers to the proposed 500-acre high technology business park in Neshannock Township. The city spent more than $1.2 million installing the West Bank Relief Sewer Project.
The agreements call for the money to be reimbursed to the city by Nov. 30.
Cialella said she will file court papers immediately if council passes the resolution Thursday. If the LCEDC does not pay the city, New Castle would take ownership of 300 acres in the business park. Councilwoman Christine Sands said the land is valued at about $20,000 an acre.
Cialella said LCEDC officials have assured her the city will get its money by Nov. 30. But, she explained, the mortgage lien papers filed in court will show the city has a legal right to the property.
Funding problems
The Millennium Park project ran into funding problems earlier this month when LCEDC officials were told they would receive only $4 million of a promised $15 million grant from the state. State officials said there wasn't the necessary one-to-one private matching funds needed for the whole grant.
In other business, council is expected to vote Thursday on an agreement in which the city would take over the debt of the New Castle Parking Authority. The authority is trying to disband but must be free of all debt before the state will permit it to do so, Cialella said.
The city already is responsible for the authority's debt if the authority would default on any loans.
Once the city adopts an ordinance to put the debt in the city's name -- which is expected to take about 30 days -- then the authority will disband, the solicitor said.
Cialella said she is still researching the best way for the city to handle the parking authority's functions. It may become a city department, she said.
City officials said it will be more financially feasible for the city to handle parking-related activities than the authority. It also will mean more cash for the city, they said.
cioffi@vindy.com