Crescent Officials Monitor McCutcheon Way Landslide

Deteriorating conditions on McCutcheon Way in Crescent have forced township officials to close the roadway and Shouse Park.

The surface of the township-owned road has begun to sink and slide downhill, posing potential safety risks to park-goers and motorists, said Crescent Township Engineer Kevin Brett.

"It's a safety precaution," said Brett of closing the roadway, which directly leads to Shouse Park. Brett said heavy spring rainfall might have contributed to the slide.

Members of the Crescent Board of Commissioners last night said residents and township staff began to notice at the township's May 21 flea market that the road was beginning to sink and crack. 

Board President Bill Cook  said at the meeting that portions of the roadway have sunk about 8 inches.

Last night the board allocated money from its general fund to hire a geo-engineering firm to evaluate the severity of the slide at a cost of $14,835. The township also will spend $2,500 to prepare the area for the firm's evaluation.   

Cook said no timeline is in place to remedy the roadway. He said that several graduation parties and events scheduled to take place at the park have been rescheduled.

"All I can say right now is that the road is closed." Cook would not comment on potential cost estimates for repairing the road.

In her address to the board, Finance Commissioner Karen Patton described the landslide as a "lightening bolt" hitting the township.  She said the township has reached out to state and federal lawmakers to find funding to ease the cost of repairing the sliding roadway.

"We will only be purchasing what we need and not what we want," Patton said of the township's financial condition after the potential cost of repairing the road.

"[Crescent Township] public works crews have been up there trying to shore up part of the roadway," said Public Works Commissioner Diane Cvengros.

Township officials determined that Crescent owns the roadway after hiring attorney Edward Krug at a cost of $1,750.