Help promised with fire station flooding
By Eric Seiverling
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
After 3 feet of water flooded its station during Thursday night’s rainstorms, the Monongahela Fire Department took its fight with Norfolk Southern Corp. to Harrisburg Friday.
In 2019, Monongahela applied for a Storm Sewer Safety Upgrade through the county’s Local Share Account grant. In 2020, the city was approved for the grant, but it needed a permit from Norfolk Southern Corp. to perform the upgrades underneath its tracks.
Members of the fire department say Norfolk Southern Corp. has not responded to requests for the permit, and rainwater enters the building on a regular basis.
“We’ve kept this private for eight years,” assistant fire Chief Aaron Benney said. “We’re just tired of it.”
Norfolk Southern Corp. did not respond to requests for comment.
State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Carroll Township, visited the station Friday morning to see the damage caused by the rainwater as cleanup crews worked to salvage items and pump out the remaining water.
By Friday afternoon, Norfolk Southern Corp. officials were made aware of the issue and had crews on their way to investigate and inspect the site.
To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Saturday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.
