Business
Board rejects firewall design
HERMITAGE — Hermitage Board of Appeals rejected a variance request from Sharon Regional Health System for the design of a firewall in an addition to the Cancer Care Center.
The hospital already has installed a new linear accelerator at the center at 2320 Highland Road, and wants to expand by about 4,000 square feet to provide more treatment, waiting room, conference and rest room space, according to a representative from VEBH Architects, Pittsburgh.
The addition would be built out from a section which has three four-feet deep overhangs, with the new construction occurring underneath the overhangs, VEBH said. Architects looked at this design to minimize cost, maximize space and limit the work in the existing area, VEBH said.
The problem with the design is that the overhangs would remain, creating a firewall that rises vertically until it reaches the overhangs, and then runs horizontally to the roof line. Under the Uniform Construction Code, firewalls may only be vertical.
VEBH argued that the existing material, the materials used in the construction of a new firewall section and the installation of a sprinkler system would be equivalent to a vertical firewall.
Building Inspection Underwriters, the company that handles most of the city’s commercial plan review and inspection duties under the UCC, balked at the plan for the firewall, and the city did not take a position on it at Wednesday’s hearing, said City Inspector Russell V. Penn Jr. The board denied the variance 5-0.
SRHS already has received a building permit for the shell of the addition.
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Court: No benefits to worker who damaged equipment
Commonwealth Court has supported the findings in an unemployment compensation case, and the conclusion that a former employee of a local company was not entitled to benefits.
Bruce R. Taylor was fired May 8, 2009, from G.W. Becker Inc., Hermitage, after a lathe he was moving from a truck to the company’s Grove City plant fell off a forklift and was destroyed.
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Under new management — Ill. company takes over SV mall
The Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage is under new management.
Chicago-based Urban Retail Properties LLC has been awarded the contract for management and leasing services effective immediately, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
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FNB earns 16 cents a share in 2nd Q
FNB Corp. had a “solid” second quarter, the Hermitage-based financial company’s president and chief executive officer said Monday.
“I’ve very pleased with the quarter. We made 16 cents (per share),” Stephen J. Gurgovits said. “It just turned out to be a very good quarter.”
Loans and deposits are up and expenses are stable, he said.
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Grant to pay for land study
Penn-Northwest Economic Development Corp. has received a $129,360 planning grant to perform a market analysis of the 218 acres Mercer County owns at Interstate 80 and Route 19 in East Lackawannock Township, said Douglas Thomas, chairman of Penn-Northwest’s sites committee.
A study will be performed to determine the site’s best use, the possible positioning of buildings, what kinds of buildings would be appropriate and how utilities can be extended onto the site, Thomas said Wednesday.
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Planning begins now for future business incubator
Although construction has only just begun to build a technology center in Hermitage’s LindenPointe technical business park, it’s not too soon to plan the mission and function of the business incubator side of the center.
Debra Steiner, executive director of the Gannon Small Business Development Center, Erie, told Penn-Northwest Development Corp.’s board Wednesday that incubators function much like parents do with children.
“You need someone who will make day-in and day-out contact with the tenants,” she said.
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Company files patent suit over truck fender design
Jones Performance Products Inc. of West Middlesex has filed a federal design patent infringement suit against a competitor over a truck fender.
Jones, of 1 Jones Way, said it received a patent for an “ornamental arc design” fender for installation of some models of big rigs in 2007, and sells it to customers and distributors.
Bad Ass Parts of Louisville, Ky., ripped off the design and has been selling its own version, according to the lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court, Pittsburgh. -
Rep says tech training key
Historically, American manufacturers have paved the way in technological and scientific advances.
But over the years foreign producers have eaten away at what used to be a distinct American advantage. U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper said she wants the government to bankroll scientific advances to help American producers get back on track.
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Aqua plan helps some pay their water bill
Aqua Pennsylvania Inc. is reminding customers that its Helping Hand assistance program is available to low-income families who find it difficult to pay their water bills.
The Helping Hand program offers customers a payment plan to pay down arrears and ensure their water isn’t turned off; an opportunity for customers who make payments on time to earn a monthly credit toward their arrears; and a conservation kit to help customers curb usage and therefore, reduce their bills.
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Local bankers getting steady refinancing business
Local bankers say more people want to refinance their mortgages to save money.
With interest rates hovering in the 4.5 percent range for a 30-year loan, it’s a deal too good to pass up, bankers said.
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‘Heartbeat of Clarion’ to stop
CLARION, Pa. (AP) — There’s a hum here, soft yet ever-present.
The noise is drowned out during the din of the day, but late at night the sound of the Owens-Illinois glass plant reverberates through this town of 6,000 people.
Mayor Andrea Estadt calls it the “heartbeat of Clarion,” an enunciation from a plant that has been a centerpiece of community employment and pride for 105 years.
But when the glass plant closes July 1, Estadt said, it’ll be silent here.
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Court: No benefits to worker who damaged equipment
