County commissioners award design contracts
County commissioners on Wednesday, Aug. 14, approved design contracts for electrical improvements at Alameda Park in Butler Township and SEBCO Pool at Laura J. Doerr Memorial Park in Jefferson Township.
At Alameda Park, Redcon Engineering of Carnegie was hired to design and oversee bidding and construction of upgrading the electrical service. The commissioners agreed to pay the company $15,750 for the design phase, $7,800 for the bidding phase and $11,500 for construction administration.
Michael Hillwig, facilities and operations director, told the commissioners he wants to meet with the engineer doing the design work to make sure power from the new service is correctly distributed to shelters, park offices and buildings and security cameras.
In addition, he said he wants to work with the engineer to have underground electrical conduit installed so additional security cameras can be installed in the future.
The electric service line runs underground from Route 422 to the carousel shelter and then under a bridge and road to an old well house, he said. From the well house, power is distributed to the various facilities, he said.
The existing line is old, creating the potential for an electrical failure at the park, he said.
“I think this is a good idea to do this so we don’t have a failure,” Hillwig said.
At SEBCO Pool, engineering firm HRG was hired for $175,000 for supplemental design services for a new mechanical building. The overall project includes a new pool deck, new pool liner, mechanical and plumbing upgrades, a new heater, new pump, new slide and access for people with disabilities.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources awarded the township a $550,000 grant, which the township is required to match, for the $1.1-million pool project. The county is administering the grant on behalf of the township.
Mechanical equipment is currently located underground and the condition of that equipment got worse over the winter, said Lance Welliver, parks and recreation director.
He said the pool work is part of a plan to update the entire park.
