Delmont to pursue litigation against detention pond contractor
Delmont council members authorized their solicitor to take legal action against a Latrobe construction company hired to perform work in the Apple Hill neighborhood.
Council contracted with Butz Masonry and Excavation in 2021 for a detention pond project between Dogwood and Stotler drives. Nearby residents, who were initially upset at not being notified that the project was beginning, returned to council Tuesday night asking when the project will be finished.
“It’s a mess,” said Allen Knizner, who lives on Dogwood Drive adjacent to the pond project. “I’ve got video of kids playing near the trench that’s been dug. It’s unsightly and we just want to know when something’s going to be done.”
Borough solicitor Dan Hewitt said he has tried unsuccessfully to reach Butz officials about the project.
“We’ve given them everything they asked for, and they’ve done nothing,” Hewitt said. “The police shot a drone video, and it looks like a bomb went off back there.”
Council gave Hewitt approval to file litigation against Butz. Councilman Dave Weber was not present.
Butz officials could not be reached for comment. The company’s owner, Brian Butz Sr., died in December 2022, and the company’s former website is defunct.
Trail work
Members of Boy Scout Troop 465 have expanded the walking trails at Shields Farm, creating 0.6 new miles of trail, forming a loop with the existing 1.2-mile nature trail. The newly created western section of the trail, roughly a tenth of a mile, will be expanded in the future, according to Delmont Council President Andy Shissler.
In addition, borough officials are pursuing a state grant to expand the walking trail at Newhouse Park.
Cheyne said if the borough is awarded the grant, recreation officials want to clear the existing trail and extend it around the basketball courts, which would make its full length close to a half mile.
The deadline to apply for the grants is in April.
Delmont Daze planning
Anyone interested in helping the borough plan its annual Delmont Daze festival is invited to a March 25 organizational meeting. It will be at 6 p.m. in the borough building at 77 Greensburg St.
The festival will be held in early August at the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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