Doctors plan addition
BUFFALO TWP — Pending township approval, a pediatrician's office will build a wing onto a Route 356 medical building.
Children's Community Pediatrics, which rents space in the Armstrong Medical Center, plans on adding three exam rooms as part of a 750 square-foot addition.
Dr. Don Vigliotti, one of the office's pediatricians, said at Wednesday's township supervisors meeting the number of children serviced has increased.
"We've outgrown the building," he said.
The pediatricians, whose main office is in Kittanning, want to expand now to take advantage of project funding through ACMH Hospital, the building's owner.
However, a sticking point is holding up the issuance of a building permit.
Freeport SchoolDistrict owns the land and leases it to ACMH. District officials are reluctant to designate an alternate access road, which the township wants in case the current one off Silverview Road is ever closed for future construction.
The township planning commission proposed the plan showing an access road closer behind the medical building than the current one off Silverview does.
While not requiring the road to be constructed, the township maintains the building plan must show that a road has been dedicated.
Superintendent Stan Chapp claims an access road in that location creates a hazard to students as it would be too close to the traffic light by the district administration building.
"It really presents a safety issue," he said.
Township officials, including solicitor Larry Lutz, disagreed.
"I really don't see where the safety issues are," Lutz said.
Having a connecting road through the site is required to prevent traffic entering and exiting more points along Route 356.
"We don't want people making left turns on Route 356," Lutz said in a Thursday interview.
The township requires developments along Route 356 to have connecting access roads enabling motorists to reach the highway via a traffic signal.
Supervisor Greg Furer pointed out the township cannot make an exception for the school district.
"If we let you do this, it nulls and voids our comprehensive plan," he said Wednesday, referring to the municipal document that is a guideline for development.
William Reilly, district business manager, questioned that rationale.
"The school district, as part of government, can't be treated differently?" he asked.
Reilly said the proposed alternate access road could interfere with possible expansion someday.
The supervisors stressed an alternate access road must be designated because a future school board could do anything with the property, including selling the land.
When the supervisors wouldn't budge, Chapp and Reilly offered an alternative route passing in front of the medical building and winding behind the district administration building.
While township officials weren't convinced the counter proposal is the best way to proceed, they agreed to work with the district.
Chapp said he would ask the school board to consider a road being dedicated in front of the building, where there is a parking area now.
None of the school board members attended the supervisors meeting.
Wherever an access lane is dedicated on the plan, it must have a 25-foot easement.
