Fawn lands $105,000 state grant toward Sun Mine Road slide repair

Fawn Secretary Pam Ponsart was happily surprised last week to hear the township would be receiving $105,000 toward a landslide repair.

Fawn was among several groups awarded a grant through the state’s Commonwealth Financing Agency to target economic development projects in Allegheny County.

Money will be used to help replace a 150-foot soldier pile and lagging wall along Sun Mine Road.

“I’m delighted,” Ponsart said. “We’ll take whatever we can get.”

Ponsart said a portion of Sun Mine Road crumbled in early summer, near where it splits with Thompson Road.

The township supervisors in June declared an emergency along the road to allow the township to expedite repairs.

“We lost about 150 feet of the road,” Ponsart said.

The township paid to conduct boring tests on the hillside to determine its stability.

Repairs are expected to cost at least $600,000, Ponsart said. Township officials recently applied for a second grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to put toward the cost.

If approved, the work could begin next year.

The road is open, but there are barriers in place to keep motorists away from hazards, Ponsart said.

In all, $2.7 million was awarded last week by the financing agency through its Gaming Economic Development Tourism Fund.

“State investments in local economic projects bring major returns to our region in terms of revenue and in the quality of life for residents,” said state Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-38th. “Each of these projects is an investment in the people and the neighborhoods of District 38.”