Pitcairn officials might hire an architectural firm to help council decide whether to rehab or replace the more-than-100-year-old borough building.
Council President Jack Bova said during Monday's council work session that Kudravy Architects offered to perform a feasibility study of the borough building, which officials have said requires extensive roof repairs.
Bova said John Kudravy, a Pitcairn native and president of the West Homestead firm, offered to perform the study for $3,500.
“He would explore this property (the borough building). He would also create kind of a matrix of other options and compare them for us,” Bova said.
Kudravy said the study would take four to six weeks and include schematic designs for renovations to the existing building and for a new structure, as well as a comparison of the costs and advantages of each.
“It's a sanity check that takes politics out of it,” Kudravy, 66, said. “I know there are members who want to build a new building; there are members who want to renovate (the current building).”
Council may consider the proposal for the study during its meeting next Monday.
Officials have said the building on Sixth Street that houses the borough's administrative offices and police and public works departments requires extensive repairs to its leaking roof. Citing the need for space to construct a new borough building, council entered negotiations in January with the owners of four houses on Broadway Boulevard but never considered a formal proposal for a new building.
Council has since approved the purchases of all four properties for a total of about $250,000.
Kudravy said he would normally charge about $7,500 for the study but offered the town where he grew up a discounted rate.
In other action
• Council approved a $15,198 agreement with J.P. Roofing to replace the roof over the borough's public works garage. Borough officials previously approved the purchase of about $6,000 in supplies that public works employees would have used to make the repairs in-house, but later sought proposals from private companies because employees wouldn't be able to perform the work while juggling other projects.
• Council approved an $11,600 contract with Eveready Contracting in Washington Township, Westmoreland County, for the demolition of 577 Broadway Blvd.
• Under a separate $8,940 agreement that council approved Monday, Eveready will raze 205 Brinton Ave. Council approved that demolition in September after describing the property as a public nuisance.
