Gettysburg Borough leaders are preparing for an expensive, inconvenient, but necessary construction project on North Washington Street.
The borough will replace water and sewer lines, add crosswalks, and extend sidewalks between Railroad Street and Racehorse Alley. The work is expected to begin after Labor Day and be finished by Christmas.
The borough hired York Excavating to complete the work at a cost of $1.07 million. York Excavating was the lowest responsible bidder of four, according to Borough Engineer Chad Clabaugh of C.S. Davidson. The contract is about $200,000 higher than the borough was expecting to pay, Clabaugh said.
Clabaugh told the borough council during Monday’s meeting that he suspects that the price tag will be reduced by about $31,000 since the borough is now willing to completely close the street in sections during construction. Previously, the borough requested traffic control employees keep one lane open but later changed their desires in an effort to cut costs. Clabaugh added that closing the street is also safer.
Council President Matthew Moon said that the project must be completed this year since the borough allocated Community Development Block Grant funds towards it. If the borough postponed or canceled the project, it would be required to return the money. Moon added returning the money could also negatively impact future grant applications.
Clabaugh said the Gettysburg Municipal Authority and Gettysburg Stormwater Authority are contributing $225,000 and $330,000 towards the project, respectively. The borough will ask the municipal authority for more money due to the higher-than-expected costs. The stormwater authority originally contributed $230,000 but unanimously voted to increase its share on Monday.
Clabaugh said the borough has been in conversation with the owners of three businesses that will be impacted by the road closure: Antica Napoli Pizza, The Flower Boutique, and Dolly’s Coin Laundry. For about 10 days, the construction will be done at all hours of the day due to the railroad company’s requirements for boring under railroad tracks.
“We appreciate the public’s understanding that this work is crucial and must be done,” Moon said.
Parking Profitable
The Gettysburg Area School District inadvertently helped the borough’s coffers when it decided to charge for parking at Gettysburg Middle and Lincoln Elementary schools. Gable told the council that the borough has sold 30 additional Local Privilege Permits since the school district began charging in July. The permits allow residents to pay $35 per month for unlimited parking in specially marked zones.
Gable also noted that the borough issued fewer parking tickets this year due to more people paying up front. He also added the borough’s decision earlier this year to increase the overnight rate in the Race Horse Alley Parking Garage from $12 to $15 was a wise choice. He said a recent teachers’ conference at the Hotel Gettysburg raised about $3,000 more than it did last year.
Featured Photo Caption: A map shows the impact a construction project will have on Gettysburg’s North Washington Street this fall.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.