Westmoreland association showcasing new homes

With spring comes not only new flowers, but often, a number of open house and home show events bloom in the western Pennsylvania area.

Among the first scheduled this year is the Builders Showcase 2001 being sponsored by Westmoreland Professional Builders Association.

Prospective home buyers can tour a variety of new homes during the event, scheduled for the next two weekends at various communities in Westmoreland County.

The houses involved will be open for viewing noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and April 29 and again on May 5-6.

In addition to its plans for newspaper and other advertising, the association also has included information about the homes on its Web site on the Internet. The address for the site is www.westmorelandbuilders.com.

The association, which is in its third year of existence, represents a group of builders, remodelers, developers, trade contractors and other related groups doing business in the county. Jeffrey A. Irwin of Irwin Contracting is the 2001 president of the organization, which has 180 members. Dena Scalise of Wimmer Commons, is the 2001 showcase chairman.

Below each municipality is a listing of the showcase's featured builders and their developments:

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP
KLA Construction Inc.: Northpointe
Pellis Construction: High Pointe Estates
RJC Construction: Marsona
Vision Homes: Wendover

MURRYSVILLE
Building Visions Inc.: Heritage Estates
R.A. Snoznik Construction Inc.: Country Meadows
Steve Catranel Construction Co. Inc.: Cherry Blossom Court
Vision Homes: Springview Estates

NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP
Scalise Homes: The Legends

PENN TOWNSHIP
Building Visions Inc.: Country Farm Estates
Daniel Brentzel Construction Co. Inc.: Woodview Estates
George Ord General Carpentry: The Estates at Penntowne
H.A. Eckersley Contractor Inc.: The Estates at Penntowne
Irwin Contracting: The Estates at Penntowne
Kistler Development Co.: Country Farm Place
Ruoff Construction: Country Farm Estates

UNITY TOWNSHIP
JAS Construction: East High Acres 2
Jim Thomas Construction Co.: Glen-Aire
Monarch Homes: Wimmerton Heights
Paul Berger General Contracting Inc.: Glen-Aire/Phase 2
Ruoff Construction Inc.: The Estates at Timbercrest
Vintage Construction: Wimmerton Heights
Wimmer Commons LTD: Wimmer Commons

HIDDEN VALLEY
Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort: Douglas Fir/The Pines
The following is a list of developments with home sites for sale.

DERRY TOWNSHIP
Jim Thomas Construction Co./Paul Berger General Contracting Inc.: Red Cut Lodge Estates
Jim Thomas Construction Co.: The Village at Spring Crest

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP
Jim Thomas Construction Co.: The New Hampshire Heights

MANOR BOROUGH
Daniel E. Brentzel Construction: New Manor Farm

UNITY TOWNSHIP
Greenfield Estates Development: Greenfield Estates
Pollock Partners LP: The Highlands

Waterford Villas to open

A grand opening will be held Thursday (April 26) at Waterford Villas, a new housing complex in North Strabane Township, Washington County.

The site consists of 59 townhouses and carriage houses, priced from the $150,000s to the $250,000s. The developer NAJ Inc. has included amenities such as a clubhouse and pool.

The opening is from 4 to 7 p.m. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is the marketing agent.

Hanna homes open doors

Separately next weekend, Hanna Real Estate Services has scheduled its annual 2001 open house event for April 29.

The company said homes to be open for viewing during the one-day event will be advertised in local newspapers.

Hours will be 1 to 4 p.m.

Wyndon Links lots for sale

Separately, Howard Hanna is marketing home and building lots for sale at Wyndon Links in Scottdale.

The company reports there are seven lots available in the plan's phase II development, priced at $39,500 each. The gently sloping lots average half an acre in size.

All lots include utilities and views of the mountains, and the development surrounds a nine-hole golf course. Several homes have been built. Prices for the homes on the lots begin at about $275,000.

Additional plans are begin initiated for the construction of 24 townhomes at the back of the property on 15 acres of wooded land. Those homes are expected to range in price from $130,000 to $150,000. The land itself is also for sale for $337,500.

Bridges building several projects

The Pittsburgh-based Bridges construction firm was awarded contracts to build a print production center for Bayer Corp. in Robinson Township and for construction of a 9,500-square-foot Pier 1 store situated next to the Circuit City store in the Ross Towne Center on McKnight Road.

Work on the Bayer project was to start immediately and finish at the end of May. WTW Architects is the project architect. Work on the Pier 1 store is slated for completion in July. Seigle Solow Horne is that project's architect.

Bridges is also finishing work on Indiana Hospital's heart catherization laboratory and beginning work on the hospital's magnetic resonance imaging suite. The catherization lab is planned to be operational by the end of April and the MRI suite by June.

Home repair camp helps elderly

A volunteer work camp designed to help elderly, low-income North Braddock, Swissvale and Homestead residents with home repairs and maintenance will take place June 25-28.

The seventh annual 'Helping Elderly Attain Repairs Today' camp is a national youth program for students ages 14 to 18 who, under adult supervision, volunteer their time to help the elderly.

To qualify, residents must be 62 years of age or older, reside in one of the three designated communities and qualify as low-income residents - defined as earning at or below 80 percent of the region's median income.

To apply for help from the HEART camp, call (412) 464-4000. The camp is sponsored by North Braddock CARES Inc., Homestead-area Economic Revitalization Corp. and Swissvale Economic Development Corp.

Ron DaParma is the Tribune-Review's real estate writer.