Saxonburg working on bid proposal for wire rope workshop
SAXONBURG -- With most of the necessary grant funding secured, Saxonburg is taking the first step toward restoring one of the county’s historic landmarks.
Borough manager Steven May announced during a council meeting on Tuesday night, Feb. 16, that the borough was preparing a bid packet for the long-awaited restoration of the historic wire rope workshop, located at Roebling Park on Rebecca Street.
“We have started working on a bid proposal,” May said. “We’re hoping to have that out by next month’s meeting for approval.”
The workshop, which was where inventor and borough founder John Roebling perfected the wire rope during the 19th century, has slowly been sinking into the ground for nearly a decade, and the borough has sought donations from the community for a structural repair project which is estimated to cost around $250,000.
Saxonburg received a major boost last year when it was awarded $150,000 in Local Share Account grant funding for the project.
In the workshop’s current state, any amount of stress could pose a major threat to its stability, especially a large amount of snow on the roof. After last month’s massive snowstorm, the borough’s public works crew moved quickly to make sure to limit any potential damage to the workshop.
“We have a big snow rake,” May said. “During the storm, we kept the snow off (the workshop) repeatedly, so it wouldn’t put any pressure on it. The workshop hasn’t had any water come into it.
“It’s still in good shape on the inside, but time is of the essence.”
