Ross OKs using community center gym for covid vaccination clinic; no opening date announced

The Ross Township commissioners on Tuesday approved an agreement with Allegheny County to operate a covid-19 vaccination clinic at the municipal building.

No date was announced for when the people can begin receiving shots.

The board’s unanimous vote to OK the agreement with the county came with no discussion or questions from the nine commissioners.

In response to a request for information about the clinic, county spokeswoman Amie Downs said: “The Ross location is just one of the various sites we are exploring to secure for vaccine distribution. We want to be ready when supplies increase and will make those announcements as appropriate.”

At the board’s Feb. 1 meeting, officials said the clinic could open by March 1 if the county and municipality could reach an an agreement.

During that meeting, the board proposed using the gymnasium for about nine months and then switching the site to the public works complex along Cemetery Lane if recreation programs resume.

Brian Dunbar, a deputy county solicitor for the county, said during that meeting that the county wanted to operate the Ross site 12 hours a day, six days a week with the goal of vaccinating 1,000 people each day.

Allegheny County Council does not have to ratify the agreement with Ross because the county manager has the authority to negotiate the terms, he said.

The county did not have a representative at Tuesday’s meeting in Ross.

The Allegheny County Health Department currently is operating covid-19 vaccination clinics in Monroeville and Castle Shannon.

Appointments for all vaccination appointments, which are only being taken by the county, are being announced through online Allegheny Alerts as they become available.

The clinics do not have on-site registration or walk-up appointments.

Downs said Tuesday morning that all the available appointments at the Castle Shannon site for this week had been filled.

“Individuals seeking appointment may continue to check on availability as there may be occasional cancellations,” Downs said.

People can check availability of appointments by calling 2-1-1 or viewing the county website.

The Castle Shannon clinic is in the fire department at 3600 Library Road. It opened Tuesday for people 65 and older.

The county in late January opened its first clinic in the DoubleTree Hotel near the Monroeville Mall to serve people age 65 and older, with a limited number of appointments for the Moderna vaccine.

It was the first large-scale option in the region for anyone over 65 to receive a vaccine.