Grand Opening Nears for West Kittanning Borough Building

by Jonathan Weaver

As the weather gets warmer, construction efforts on the West Kittanning Borough Building along Arthur Street are coming to an end.

Since Borough Council voted to demolish the former Borough Building and build new, council meetings have been held in the West Kittanning Fire Department two blocks away.

The April 7th council meeting is to continue at the current location, but efforts for a grand opening are still being planned so that public residents and local taxpayers are able to tour the new building before the May council meeting, tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 5.

Committee Chair Ken Trudgen said that most work remaining, outside of properly installing a security system through 2Krew Security and Surveillance of Kittanning, depends on the outside weather conditions.

“We’ll have to get together with 2Krew to talk about the security issue, sit down and talk about the program. The only thing else with the building is the outside,” Trudgen said.

Committee members continue to meet with contractors weekly to discuss progress to the building.

At the February council meeting, a majority of council members voted for more than $6,600 in security measures – including motion detectors, security cameras on the four corners of the one-story building and window testing.

Trudgen updated council members at this month’s meeting that the inside floor also needs to be waxed and council members need to decide where cable accessories inside will be placed to place electric lines.

Trudgen hopes that ground and sidewalks are in-place as soon as the weather allows.

Council members also voted last meeting to pay Current Waves about $15,500 for work performed October through February, Enders Plumbing and Heating for more than $12,000 and Infinity Crane and Excavation for more than $2,750.

Borough Engineer Senate Engineering was also paid more than $1,500 for January services.