Altoona Mirror (Newspaper) - July 10, 1981, Altoona, Pennsylvania VOL 23 of our yew PHONE Pa Friday July 10 1981 Final Edition COPY Fire Kills 3 At Glo GLO A bouse fire early this morning killed three family members and injured another Roy and Marion Commons and their daughter Bertha 19 died in a blaze that began about 5 at their home at 1150 Johnson St Tom Waltz Glo fire chief said Fred Commons 18 was treated for smoke inhalation at Lee Hospital Johnstown Neighbors reported he was injured while trying to rescue his parents and sister Chief Waltz said the bodies of Mr and Mrs Commons believed to be in their 50s were found in an upstairs bedroom and their daughter was found on a downstairs couch Township Not Sure It Wants Traffic Lights By JEFF Staff Writer The chairman of the Logan ship Board of Supervisors asked some interesting questions during the weekly meeting Thursday morning and no one had any answers What if we said thanks but no thanks to concerning the three planned traffic signal lights posed for installation In Logan ship this Cloyd Forsht said Are we bound to accept these Traffic lights are usually considered as beneficial progress and Mr questions had an odd ring to them Initially But not after ensuing discussion According to figures supplied by township manager and secretary See LIGHTS Page 3 Fred is employed in a youth ing program at Ebensburg State School as was his sister Bertha An assistant Greensburg state lice fire marshal on the scene said the blaze may have begun in the kitchen Chief Waltz said he could not de- termine the cause of the blaze but added that it must have spread ly to the upper floors Firemen who were aware there were people in the home battled the blaze for 45 minutes before bringing it under control The Jackson Township and Ebensburg fire companies assisted the firefighting effort The blaze was first spotted by a neighbor and a Glo policeman The fire was well along before it was discovered a resident said Fireman kept a stream of water on a house 10 to 15 feet away and saved it from damage Firemen also managed to closed the windows in the home to prevent smoke and water damage Though the shell of the structure remains firemen said it is a total loss An automobile parked in the garage of the home was also destroyed Mirror photo by Don Baiter Neighbors stand Commons home in Glo after fire killed 3 this morning Logan Twp Taking City to Court By JEFF Staff Writer Logan Township has announced plans to file suit city in the latest development of what is shaping up to be a classic irresistible force vs the Im- movable object the Newburg Street sewer line dilemma The only ones to benefit from this whole thing now will be the Cloyd Forsht township supervisor i man told newsmen after the supervisors meeting Thursday morning Litigation is an absolute possibility in this matter The township decided on court action after several weeks of negotiations be- tween city and township officials ing what the supervisors believe to be overzealous unnecessary enforcement of the city plumbing code in the township We want an answer and we want it this issue must be resolved in the near Mr Forsht said The ship has determined the city's actions concerning the sewer inspection issue in Newburg to be unwarranted and we will seek relief anywhere we can find it Including court litigation if necessary Township officials admitted Thursday that the confrontation appears to be ly defined lining up city against ship on the Street sewer problem Attorney Bertram Leopold township solicitor termed Logan's stance as an adversary position and he revealed plans to find equitable relief in the form of a court injunction to resolve the con- City officials have said on several occasions according to the township that they will not alter their inflexible stand regarding rigid ment of the strict BOCA plumbing code in See TOWNSHIP Page 3 Getting 5 Buses will get five new buses over the next three years under a unique purchase agreement announced this morning by Gov Dick Thornburgh and U.S Transportation Secretary Drew is The local bus authority will be sharing in a unique purchase agreement through which the state's 16 major transit author- will pool their new bus orders and so get a price break on those vehicles In all buses costing million are being ordered slice of that pie will cost about 3.3 percent or of which would come from the local bus authority Eighty percent of the cost is being paid by the federal government and the remaining 16.6 percent share will be picked up by the state We're looking to purchase modern up-to-date James Wiggins spokesman for Gov Thornburgh told the Mirror today The local share will come from and Logan Township which last year gave approval to the expenditure Originally all the buses were to have included wheelchair lifts but Secretary Lewis indicated this morning that the federal government may move to relax that standard possibly requiring the lifts on only some of the buses Agreement Announced HARRISBURG UPI The state and the federal government today announced they would buy buses for 16 vania cities Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis said the agreement was a first and could serve as a model for other states It's the beginning of what I hope will become a succession of agreements to pool statewide transit bus procurements a step which will result in significant savings through the benefits of ume purchases and the elimination of paperwork and red said Lewis Lewis who could not estimate the savings involved in the purchase said the agreement was part of the See BUSES 3 Thornburgh Urges TMI Cleanup Aid MIDDLETOWN Pa UPI More than two years after the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident Gov Dick Thornburgh says the radioactivity un- leashed continues to present a grave threat to the people nearby Thornburgh Thursday asked ment and industry for million ing almost millon from U.S payers to decontaminate the radioactive nuclear plant The owner General Public Utilities Corp has had a hard time coming up with more than its million accident ance money for the billion cleanup Thornburgh said if government and industry do not cooperate he will consider opposing the planned restart of an un- damaged nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island I cannot ask the people of central Pennsylvania In all conscience to share with me an uneasiness about the con- Unit 2 facility and heap upon that the further decision to proceed with restart of Unit he said This 1 regard as the acid test for nuclear power in the United Thornburgh added at a news conference across the river from the nuclear cooling towers If we can't clean up that damaged reactor then the debate about nuclear power's future ceases in my he said So long as this containment building with Its potentially deadly contents sits See TMI Page 3 Indirect Costs Over Three Years Blair Trying to Collect From State By PHIL RAY Stall Writer Tile Blair ty commissioners hope to receive several hundred thousand dollars in additional reimbursement from the state by billing it for indirect according to the Chairman John W Gardner Commissioners Gardner and C ard Logan and Controller Robert Grove and Chief Clerk Ralph T Mangus this morning met with representatives of a consulting firm The representatives out- lined how Blair could collect additional money from state government The representatives included Thomas J Moore and Richard Jamison of David M Griffith Associates of They said county government is en- titled to more money in reimbursement for several of its programs because the county actually spends money through indirect costs to support programs For instance the com- missioners and county controller's of- fices provide administrative functions for Valley View the domestic relations de- mental health and mental re- program and the CETA gram Until now the county has never received reimbursement under those grams for the services provided by the commissioners or controller The consultants are contending that while those services are not provided directly to the programs they are indirect operating costs and are reimburseable Griffith Associates has prepared a plan to be used by the county in applying for additional reimbursement Controller Robert Grove estimated the county should be entitled to about in additional reimbursement for expenses incurred in the last three years The county also plans to the state for indirect costs in the future The plan reviewed by the com- missioners today was the result of a long study of county government by fith Associates which Commissioner Gardner said represented an attempt by county government to obtain the reimbursement for services it vides We are looking at ways to maximize funds for the he said This is not a windfall It is something we have been looking concluded Mr Logan Gov Thornburgh holds a press conference Thursday across the river from TMI UPI Mill Run Project Cost Million By DON HOPEY Suit Writer Revised plans for the Mill Run Flood Control project plans that would add million to the current million cost may be and unworkable according to state Rep Richard A Geist Rep Gels met with City Council members and city engineers on the Mill Run Flood Control project today and after review of a revised plan said that plan could cause more problems than It solves What Is the ratio that is the cost of the project versus the amount of property loss of stream side Mr Geist asked This plan needs some preliminary engineering work to address the problems it will create with the city's bridges over Mill Run stream The project as proposed by the state's Department of Environmental Resources DER In May at a public hearing had a price tag of million The addition of feet of sheet pile wall at a cost of a toot will add another million to the project's cost Rep Geist said the money for the million base project cost Is available from Increased revenue from liquid fuels taxes DER has already gone to the ture for an additional for the project cost overruns in addition to ginal estimates According to original plans the state will pay 100 percent of project tion Local governments Involved in the proposed project Including and Logan and Allegheny townships would be required to pay the cost of utility tion acquisition and project See MILL RUN Page 3 In the Mirror Medfly War California waged a massive war day against the Mediterranean fruit fly as federal officials considered a 5 Strike Fallout Times are tough for city taverns that depend heavily on live and tele- vised baseball games to bring in Id No Housing HUD In Pittsburgh confirmed that it has rejected a proposal for a housing project for the elderly In 14 Today's Press Custody Fight The state Supreme Court awarded temporary custody of a old girl to her natural parents so the couple seeking to adopt her have turned to federal 20 INDEX WEATHER Clear low of 55 Sunny high In 80s Details pollution 2
