June 22 – HERMITAGE – City officials have planned a project that could beautify portions of state Route 18 as they prepare for the nearby Hermitage city center project.
The City Center Corridor Beautification Project calls for replacing the wide, concrete medians along State Route 18 with plantings, mulch, boulders and other elements that are more aesthetically pleasing.
Hermitage City Manager Gary Hinkson said the first phase of this project will affect the median from the Shenango Valley Freeway to the Hickory Global Methodist Church, just north of the Shenango Valley Mall site.
“This is a stretch of Route 18 where we have multiple wide medians, but in the future we may consider expanding this project elsewhere in the city,” Hinkson said.
Smaller medians, such as those at the illuminated intersection near Wendy’s and McDonald’s, will remain as they are.
Hermitage Assistant City Manager Gary Gulla said city officials are working with IAG Consulting on the engineering for the project and that most of the plantings will be perennial species that can survive the winter with minimal maintenance.
However, smaller plantings such as flowers can be added each spring to add some color diversity to the medians, Gulla said.
Hermitage director of facilities Neil Hosick will take the lead in arranging the plantings for the project. Hosick previously tended the plantings for the roundabout at the intersection of East State Street and the Shenango Valley Freeway, Hinkson said.
“This would be a similar style to what you see on the roundabout,” Hinkson said.
Since the project involves state Route 18, a highway permit must be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Depending on how quickly the permit is issued, the project could be completed by the fall, Hinkson said.
Information about the project was presented Thursday evening at the Hermitage commissioners meeting, where commissioners responded positively to the proposal.
A proposal to apply for a highway use permit will appear on the agenda of the next board meeting on Wednesday.
The beautification project will be part of city officials’ overall effort to create a mixed-use downtown, which would be developed around the Shenango Valley Mall property.
The concept of a city center was one of the key recommendations of the Hermitage 2030 Comprehensive Plan, a guide to the future development of the city.
Hinkson said the city remains in contact with Butterfli Holdings LLC, the mall’s owner, which is expected to demolish the mall later this year to make way for future development on the site. The last stores in the shopping center closed permanently about three weeks ago.
While the developer has not yet revealed exact plans for the property, Hinkson said projects like the City Center Corridor Beautification Project will allow city officials to begin work on the edge of downtown in the meantime.
This particular project also meets another recommendation of the comprehensive plan: beautification, Gulla said.
“Beautification was a big recommendation in the comp plan, so this project helps us pursue that along one of our main thoroughfares,” Gulla said.
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