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C O M M I S S I O N N E W S R E L E A S E |
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Contact: |
Joe Agnello (724) 755-5262, (724)
755-5142 fax |
October 22, 2002 |
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The
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission today named its newest maintenance
facility in honor of the late Frank L. Irey, Jr., a lifelong Monongahela
area resident and a leading proponent of the Mon/Fayette Expressway. Irey’s
name will be permanently displayed at the newly opened, nine-acre
maintenance complex along the northbound lanes of the expressway in
Jefferson Hills Borough, Allegheny County. It is the first maintenance
facility constructed by the Turnpike specifically to serve the growing
Mon/Fayette Expressway system. “No other private citizen worked so long and so hard, often behind the scenes, to keep these projects moving forward,” said Turnpike Commissioner James J. Dodaro. “Frank’s focus, optimism and youthful spirit continue to inspire all who knew him and who share his commitment to the mid-Mon Valley.” Irey, a 1948 graduate of Monongahela High School, was best known in the business world for his construction company – Frank L. Irey Jr., Inc. But it was in his role as president of the Monessen-based Mon Valley Progress Council, from 1982 until his unexpected passing on June 29, 2002, that he fought with such fervor for the region’s economic future. He
considered his service to the Mon Valley Progress Council as his most
important volunteer commitment to the community and a strong, unwavering
advocacy of the Mon/Fayette Expressway to be the council’s top priority. Members of the Irey family were presented with an artist’s rendering of the new maintenance complex, which was built by Dick Corporation under terms of a $9.3 million contract awarded on November 6, 2001. On hand to accept were Frank’s Widow, his wife of 50 years, Faye Henderson Irey; and the couple’s three children – Melanie, William and Robert. Other family members in attendance were Melanie’s husband Brad Sandrock and their son Brent; Robert’s wife Diana (a Washington County Commissioner) and their children Victoria, Alexandria and Frank III; and William’s son Jimmy Irey. Also on hand for the presentation were longtime State Senator J. Barry Stout of Washington County, Mon Valley Progress Council Executive Director Joseph P. Kirk, Progress Council Office Manager Joan Zanardelli, and staff writer Chris Buckley of The Valley Independent newspaper in Monessen. Turnpike maintenance personnel moved into the new facility on October 2. Its main building has space for six trucks, not including two work bays that provide one complete truck lift, portable lifts, overhead cranes and tire balancers. The site also includes a storage building to keep all maintenance equipment under cover, a 100-feet-in-diameter salt dome with conveyor system to maximize storage capacity, and fueling stations for gasoline, diesel and propane. Dick Corporation’s contract also included construction of a satellite maintenance facility in California Borough, Washington County. |
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P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676 Phone: (717) 939-9551 Fax: (717) 986-9649 |
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