Resident fired up by road
CHERRY TWP — Chuck Collins is mad about the condition of his road.
He's been mad for about three years when a two-mile stretch of Harrisville Road, which is used by USIS employees as a short cut, began to fall apart.
"The township doesn't get enough liquid fuel (tax) money to do anything about it," Collins said Tuesday. "I've called everyone and no one can do anything about (the road)."
Collins said he has called Butler County commissioners, state legislators, as well as federal agencies, but the road remains muddy and full of potholes.
Bill Smith, a township supervisor and roadmaster, said Harrisville Road is and has been "terrible" for years.
Smith said the township asked a state Department of Transportation consultant to look at the road two years ago.
"Now we get about $93,000 in liquid fuel money each year and we have about 40 miles of road to maintain," he said. "The consultant said the solution would be to put 3 inches of asphalt on the road at a cost of $200,000 — and that was the cost two years ago.
"We just can't spend all that money on one road and not maintain the other 38 miles. That's not fair to the rest of the township," Smith said.
Collins said he thinks that someone would be able to find the money needed to fix the road.
"The governor (Ed Rendell) says we have a surplus in the state, so why can't they use it to help us out and other municipalities that have bad roads? Why can't we get some federal money because of the USIS workers using the road? Everyone just says we can't," Collins said.
State Sen. Dick Stevenson, R-8th, said the problem is that Harrisville Road is a local road and that the state can't use a surplus, made up of taxpayers' money from across the state, to repair a local road.
"That wouldn't be fair. And where would we stop? What would be the next local road we'd have to take care of?" Stevenson said.
He and Ray Steffler, aide to state Sen. Mary Jo White, R-21st, explained that each municipality in the state gets liquid fuel money based on the miles of road maintained by that municipality. The money comes from a tax on gasoline sales.
Stevenson listed a number of options Cherry Township could employ to raise money to fix Harrisville Road. They are:
n The township could borrow against future liquid fuels money;
n The county could donate the money to the township;
n Loan PA Infrastructure Bank could loan the township the money at a low interest rate;
n Act 44, that calls for the tolling of Interstate 80, is meant to provide money to municipalities for road maintenance.
"We have talked to Cherry Township officials, but they are the ones who must take action. We can't pick which one of these options is right for the township," Stevenson said.
Steffler echoed Stevenson's statement.
"We are all willing to help Cherry Township solve this problem, but they have to take the first step," Steffler said.
