MANSFIELD - A PennDOT-required traffic light may be at the center of yet another delay for the new Lowe's Home Improvement store slated to be constructed along Business Route 15 in Richmond Township.
According to township secretary Debbie Kotulka, the township is still waiting for a written maintenance agreement from Lowe's, which she said is "in process."
"We would expect it soon and then they can move ahead," she said.
The 114,000-square-foot store was supposed to be under construction by now, but according to Lowe's representative Maureen Rich, they haven't even closed on the property yet.
"As part of our expansion, Lowe's is evaluating many potential sites; however, the real estate process can be a long and sometimes complicated one. It's our policy not to comment about specific sites Lowe's may be considering for new stores unless we have closed on all real estate matters. We have not done that in Mansfield," she said in an email response to an inquiry from the Sun-Gazette Wednesday.
The traffic signal, which would be put in at Lowe's expense and maintained by the store, would be similar to the one installed by Wal-Mart several years ago to control traffic in and out of the store parking lot.
The lot for the proposed Lowe's is sandwiched in between Eddie's Restaurant and Costy's Auto Sales, and the maintenance agreement would be similar to the one the township has with Wal-Mart, according to Kotulka.
"The maintenance agreement is for us to cover ourselves," Kotulka said Thursday. "We can't go in there and maintain the light if it is put in by and for a store."
