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Wetmore self-storage project now set for spring |
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Written by Publisher
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Friday, 06 November 2009 |
The owners of Kane Self-Storage on Route 6 in Wetmore Township west of Kane now plan to move ahead with an expansion project.
According to a notice from Robert Ingalls, general partner of Kane Self-Storage, plans now call for the construction of a third building with one-level storage units. Work is expected to begin next spring. Ingalls said the proposed third building at the self-storage complex would measure 30x80 feet.
This is welcome news to the Wetmore Township Board of Supervisors, which met Thursday at the township building on Spring Street.
Just last month, Ingalls told the supervisors that his company was canceling plans to move forward with the expansion project due to hefty permit fees set forth under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC).
“We have decided against building at this time due to permit costs,” Ingalls said in a letter to the supervisors. “To spend over three percent of our budget on permits and fees seems ridiculous.”
The UCC has been blamed for shooting down several area plans in the past because developers can’t justify the expense of meeting stringent rules outlined in the regulations.
The Wetmore supervisors last month expressed their concerns about the UCC rules in a letter to the state Department of Labor and Industry.
“Our township is built and sustained by small businesses,” the township said in a letter drafted by Secretary Elaine Bodistow. “Just to expand any of the existing buildings (under the regulations of commercial buildings), a stamped engineer blueprint would be required at a cost of $5,000 to $8,000 just to start.”
According to the letter, the township believes there needs to be a “separation in the codes from the requirements of a multi-million development and the small family-run businesses that are scattered across the rural communities in Pennsylvania.”
“What works in urban areas doesn’t necessarily work in rural areas,” Supervisor Steve Dyne said last month.
Russ Braun of St. Marys, who handles building code work for the township, also wrote a letter to Ingalls to help him understand the UCC fee schedule.
“Certain fees are charged to cover the expenses of providing a building code program necessary to meet these state requirements,” Braun said in his letter to Ingalls.
According to Ingalls, his company had to pay a $25 fee to Wetmore Township in conjunction with its project plan. Ingalls said Braun cited two more fees-- $350 for a plan review and $936 for a building permit based on the rate of 39 cents per square foot.
Ingalls said the additional fees “seem completely out of line to us.”
Ingalls said he “understands” the need for code enforcement as spelled out by the UCC. But he believes the stringent rules and exorbitant fees under the state legislation represent “a perfect example of what is going wrong in this country in respect to small businesses.”
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Last Updated ( Monday, 09 November 2009 )
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