By Carole Gilbert Brown
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Copyright 2007 P.G. Publishing Co.
BOWER HILL, Pa. — Allegheny County wants to sell a 10-acre parcel between Vanadium Road and Kane Boulevard in Scott.
Bower Hill Volunteer Fire Department wants more land so it can replace its 70-year-old building and accommodate larger firetrucks.
Scott commissioners have endorsed a plan that would give both parties what they want.
Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 27 to support the fire department’s letter of intent to acquire the land which it must submit to the county by tomorrow.
Bower Hill Fire Chief Gary Sawicki had asked township commissioners for their support to move the fire department from its current location at a sharp bend on Vanadium Road to what is known as Kane Field, a sweeping slope that often is used by golfers and children at play.
“We’re out of space. [Kane Field] is the only developable property in Bower Hill left,” he said, noting that expansion possibilities at the current site are limited because of the surrounding terrain.
He added that the bays in the fire department’s current structure are not large enough for the newer trucks needed to protect high-rise buildings.
“From our end, it’s pretty much a necessity,” he said, adding later that the fire department has wanted to purchase the land for more than two years.
Chief Sawicki said the department’s volunteers would join forces with the Chartiers Valley Soccer Association and an unidentified religious institution to develop the land and terrace it to accommodate the fire department, soccer fields, parking areas and the religious group.
To pay for the property, the chief said, the volunteer firefighters are prepared to sell their building on seven acres, as well as apply for grants and low-interest loans, and to conduct fund-raisers.
The county has not said what the property’s price tag would be, but Chief Sawicki said the fire department would be willing to pay fair market value for the land.
The volunteer firefighters aren’t the only ones interested in the property, Chief Sawicki said. A developer has indicated interest in buying it and constructing 36 townhouses there.