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West View Water suit OK'd by Ross commissioners
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Ross commissioners hope that filing suit against West View Water Authority will get the water company's attention to the problems caused by water main breaks.
Commissioners Monday authorized solicitor Bonnie Brimmeier to file the suit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to recoup the costs of repairing roads damaged by the water.
Commission chairman Grant Montgomery said the township is looking at "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in road repair work, and has spent $50,000 thus far to repair several roads.
"We repaired a sink hole on Lincoln [Avenue] last week," Mr. Montgomery said. "We're incurring all the expense for the damage caused by the water."
Buehner Drive had three water main breaks in six weeks, said commissioner Peter Ferraro. Residents were without water from 11 p.m. last Thursday until 2 p.m. the next day.
Residents complained to him that a water buffalo was not provided and they could not shower before going to work, he said.
Cardiff Road, he said, has been a "disaster" for six months. Both roads are in his ward.
Ms. Brimmeier said she will file the suit in the next couple of weeks.
Sharon Bruno, director of administration for West View Water, said she could not comment on pending litigation.
The vote to authorize the lawsuit passed 8-0 with David Mikec absent.
In other business, commissioners approved the transfer of a liquor license from Collier to the Taj Mahal restaurant on McKnight Road.
Attorney Michael Hudock said the restaurant's owners want to serve alcohol with meals during normal restaurant hours, 10 a.m. to 11 or 11:30 p.m., depending on the day. They will not serve alcohol for all the hours the license permits -- from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., he said.
Commissioners also approved façade improvements for the building at 7390 McKnight Road. The building, formerly a florist and doughnut shop, will become a Jersey Mike's sandwich shop.
They also approved hiring the Cohen Law Group to perform a franchise fee review to make sure the township is getting all the fees it should from Comcast and Verizon.
Attorney Daniel S. Cohen told commissioners July 16 that his firm found unpaid franchise fees in previous reviews, although there is no guarantee he will find any for Ross.
The maximum cost for Ross is $8,000, but will decrease if other municipalities join in the review, said manager Wayne Jones.
First Published August 9, 2012 5:38 am
