A previous (2003) Altoona Mirror stated that an investigation was underway into a wasted three quarters of a million dollars on this project. Was the investigation ever completed and what are the results?

How much money has been spent on this project so far?

How much money is still needed to be spent to finish the project?

Are all of the funds in place?

Looking at past reports I see some items being completed and riveted in place and now they are ripped off again. Exactly how much work has had to be redone? What was wrong that the work had to be redone?

I too have often heard that an audit was conducted in 2003/2004 and uncovered substantial questions about how serious portions of the K4 funds had been spent.
Perhaps Mr. Cessna can set the record straight on this? Was there an audit? Where can interested parties obtain a copy?
Thank you, Ross Rowland

Read the Mirror article. The people supplying the funds, the PA Department of Transportation, are involved in the project oversight and are satisfied with the expenditures. The "audit" everyone keeps talking about does not exist. When I arrived as Director, we "audited" the expenditures made by Steamtown under the prior grant and had some questions. While we did not ,and do not, see eye to eye with the Park Service on all of those issues, they made an effort to remedy the identified situations and we relieved them of project responsibility and hired our own crew from that point forward.

I have only the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - Department of Community and Economic Development and Penndot to answer to and they have no problem with what we have done or are currently doing. Whether you agree or disagree with "your tax dollars" being spent in this way, we are operating well within the guidelines of a state-sponsored grant program. I, the partners in our outside CPA firm, and the State personnel involved, will take great offense to any continued veiled references that something illegal or improper was done concerning the expenditure of public monies.

This topic and the other K-4 threads are being locked. I am starting a new thread called "K4 consolidated thread." Discussion of the K4 is welcome to proceed in the new thread, but all readers and posters are warned that in the new thread the Internchange guidelines will be vigorously and aggressively enforced.

Erik Ledbetter
Associate Editor, RyPN
RyPN Board Member