Munhall discusses claiming Creek Street to accept $150,000 conservation grant for erosion repairs

Munhall Borough council members, public works staff and residents spent the workshop meeting weighing whether the borough should claim ownership of Creek Street so it can accept a $150,000 grant toward a broader stabilization and road-repair project estimated at roughly $500,000.

The question of ownership matters because the Allegany County Conservation District’s gravel-road grant — the $150,000 contribution the borough has already received — is restricted to public roads. Borough staff told the council the county has signaled it would require repayment if the road is ultimately declared private.

Why it matters: council members and nearby residents said the slope below Creek Street remains an active slide that will worsen with more heavy rain. Accepting the Conservation District funds and moving forward with the slope stabilization and road repairs would allow work to begin, staff said; declining to claim the road or failing to resolve ownership could require the borough to return grant money and leave residents waiting.

Resident Jim Duhash, who identified himself as living at the end of Creek Street, told the council he had checked the county’s online mapping tool and found the road listed as borough property. “If you go on to Creek Street … it says property of Munhall Borough,” he said during public comment, pressing the council to act. Several residents described ongoing undermining behind the road and asked for a timeline for repairs; one noted the problem has been reported for more than a year.

Borough staff presented two legal framings. One internal legal review described to council members said the borough could undertake one-off repairs and a stabilization project without formally taking ownership of the road. County staff, however, have taken the opposite position: if the road is not publicly owned the county’s $150,000 grant could be reclaimed. The solicitor’s written report provided to council members (summarized at the meeting) urged the council to decide whether to assume ownership or proceed with an alternate plan; staff and the solicitor indicated either choice carried trade-offs in cost and timing.

Cost and scope: staff said the full hillside and road-stabilization effort is a multistage project with bids that earlier in the process ranged near $500,000; speakers noted that recent increases in material costs have pushed estimates higher. The Conservation District grant is a subsidy that would defray but not fully cover the bill. Staff also noted that the erosion has undermined the base behind the road, and that the long-term fix would require stabilizing the slope — work that could involve a rock face or other structural measures.

Next steps: council members were told a contract with a low bidder exists for construction planning and that final decisions would be on the agenda for the next regular meeting. Staff said the council must decide whether Munhall will claim ownership of the road; if the borough claims ownership the project can proceed under the current grant; if it does not, the county has indicated it would seek to reclaim the $150,000. No formal vote or ordinance was taken at the workshop.

Residents asked for a construction schedule and for clarity about whether adjacent private property owners would be asked to accept changes to deed lines or other property adjustments if the borough assumes control of the road and undertakes slope work. Borough staff said those property-line and right-of-way questions would be part of the engineering and legal review before construction began.

The council scheduled discussion and potential action on Creek Street for next week’s meeting, where members said they would consider the solicitor’s updated opinion and the county’s position before making a final decision.