Westmoreland commissioners approved an emergency contract Monday to rebuild a picnic pavilion that was destroyed by a windstorm at Twin Lakes Park.
Wind gusts in March uprooted a large tree, causing it to crash into the large wooden structure, according to Public Works Director Dante DeCario.
Pavilion No. 3 is one of 10 at the popular 460-acre park that straddles Hempfield and Unity townships. The damaged pavilion can hold up to 100 guests and was rented for events in April and May.
Those events were relocated to other facilities in the park.
The $65,000 project will begin immediately and officials said work is expected to be complete in about two weeks.
“There is an urgency to get it rebuilt to accommodate our renters. So far, we’ve been able to move people to other pavilions, but we’re getting into our busy season, so we don’t have an option to move people in the future,” DeCario said. “Our goal is to have it in place by the end of the month.”
Commissioners awarded the contract to KLR Construction LLC of Latrobe.
Pavilion rentals at Twin Lakes and Westmoreland’s other parks can be booked through the county’s website. Rentals at Twin Lakes range from $80 to $250 for county residents.
The emergency contract was one of four items commissioners considered during a special meeting Monday. Acting as the county’s salary board, commissioners and Controller Jeffrey Balzer also approved an increase in the annual pay for the county’s new human resources director.
Amanda Bernard, who rejoined the county last week after a five-year hiatus in the private sector, will earn an annual salary of $108,786. Bernard replaced former human resources director Alexis Bevan, who resigned last month.
Bernard, the only candidate considered to replace Bevan, was paid $71,000 annually before she left in 2020. Bevan earned $92,775 as human resources director.