Murrysville takes public input on spending federal covid relief dollars

Murrysville officials wanted to hear from ideas from the public about how to use a little more than $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan relief funding at their Feb. 16 meeting.

Chief Administrator Jim Morrison said the municipality had received an initial payment last July, and the second will arrive this July. He estimated they had already spent roughly $400,000 for a new dump truck, police vehicle and some park projects.

Those expenditures were approved before the federal government had finalized the guidelines for how the money could be spent. And although there was a general understanding that they could certainly be used for infrastructure projects, local governments were cautious about using the funds.

With those rules set as of January, council set about gathering ideas at a public hearing on Wednesday night.

Wallace Road resident Kevin Lovelace and nearby neighbor Christian Croyle had a proposal to run public water lines from Bulltown Road down Sardis, across Wallace and ultimately up to the Sardis Volunteer Fire Company just off Saltsburg Road.

The proposal was originally put forth in 2011. Croyle said property owners in the area regularly lose water pressure for things like bathing and washing clothes.

Lovelace has a cistern and said he occasionally has to bring in water by truck when it runs dry.

“We did a survey during the summertime and we found 11 of the 18 property owners in the area were interested,” Croyle said, adding that bringing public water to Station 78 “is a benefit to all citizens.”

Another resident asked council to consider using some of the money to make improvements at Pleasant Valley Park.

“It’s kind of the lost stepchild over on that side of town,” Paul Rizzo said. “It doesn’t get the attention that the other parks get.”

Rizzo asked if the municipality could install restroom facilities at the park.

“Right now there’s just a Port-a-John along the road. That doesn’t seem to be in keeping with Murrysville’s image to me,” Rizzo said.

A group of six residents along General Forbes Road in Murrysville submitted a letter for the public hearing asking that council consider bringing public sewer to their homes, installing a collection line to an existing manhole in the Bella Molise subdivision along School Road South.

Resident Mike Kardell cautioned council against using the money for projects that only cater to a small group of residents.

“You’re going to have people coming to ask for things that do not benefit the whole public,” Kardell said, advocating the money be used for things like road improvements. “To me, that’s not what this money was intended for.”

Municipal staff also has a list of potential projects for which the money could be used, including the replacement of air handling and heating units at the municipal building, community center and public works building, as well as addressing two pedestrian bridges in Duff Park which Morrison said are “in dire need of replacement.”

Local governments have until the end of 2024 to determine how to spend American Rescue Plan funding.