Monday, August 13, 2012
Leetsdale officials hope to educate residents about recycling.
Leetsdale Council President Joseph McGurk estimates that it costs borough taxpayers $60 for every ton of garbage sent to the dump rather than a recycle bin. In contrast, McGurk said the borough is missing out on $35 compensation for every ton that could be recycled through the program—a $95 turnaround for the borough, he said. In April, the borough began collecting cans, bottles and other recyclables curbside every other week. The materials, delivered to Green Star Recycling of Neville Island, were expected to benefit the borough financially, saving Leetsdale a potential $15,000 annually, or $270 a week, if residents were to participate. “We’re not getting the amount of compliance we were hoping,” McGurk said during last week's council …
40.5663
-80.20911
Leetsdale Borough
373 Beaver St, Leetsdale, PA
/articles/recycling-saves-leetsdale-taxpayers-borough-officials-say
1838172
/locations/7613024
Friday, July 13, 2012
Hundreds flocked to a cook out Thursday in Bellevue to protest the borough's ban on grilling near homes and buildings.
Charlene Kinyanjui had no idea a protest on Bellevue's grilling ban was even happening in her town Thursday until she saw the large cook-out gathered in the streets outside the borough building. She was one of hundreds who attended the “Grill-abration,” the name given to Thursday's demonstration opposing a Bellevue ordinance that contains language preventing grilling within 5-feet of a residence, porch or combustible materials, for safety reasons. “I think it’s taking away some of our rights,” Kinyanjui, 58, complained. Bellevue Mayor George Doscher said he vetoed the law, but council overrode his veto 6-3 last week. For many residents whose homes are built close together, it means no cook-outs unless citizens obtain one-time open burning…
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Council members are seeking candidates to fill the unexpired seat.
A longtime Sewickley Hills council president has resigned his seat for unspecified reasons, borough officials said. After decades serving on the board, Council President Thomas Klixbull submitted his resignation effective at noon Tuesday, Jan. 17. Borough Secretary Diana Steele said Klixbull didn’t give a specific reason for his resignation. He couldn't be reached for comment Friday. “He’s served on council for 30 years and just thought it was time to move on,” she said. The departure makes Klixbull the fourth person to step down from council in about a year. Council accepted Klixbull's resignation at Tuesday’s meeting and also voted to appoint a new borough treasurer while dealing with a power outage. Steele said the hall lost power …
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Council authorizes the solicitor to draft an ordinance putting weight restrictions on eight roads.
An engineering study in Bell Acres has determined that several borough-maintained roads should have a 9-ton weight limit. Shoup Engineering Inc. performed the study dated December 2011, which recommends 9-ton weight limits be placed on Beadnell Drive and Backbone, Hopkins Church, Sevin, Turkeyfoot, Willow Ridge, Westholm and Young roads. Based on the recommendations, Bell Acres Council authorized the solicitor Monday night to draw up an ordinance that would place weight restrictions on the roads. Borough Manager Charles Kulbacki said the weight restrictions would help address road use from potential gas drilling operations in the area. Alternative routes will have to be established for vehicles to bypass prohibited roads. Solicitor Robert …
40.605772
-80.166579
Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department
1850 Big Sewickley Creek Rd, Sewickley, PA
/articles/bell-acres-to-set-weight-restrictions-on-eight-borough-roads
1838145
/locations/6158287
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Leetsdale Council appoints new officers; other boards change meeting schedules.
At the start of every new year, government bodies hold annual reorganization meetings to swear-in newly elected members, name board officers, set meeting schedules and conduct other business. Leetsdale's new council moved to make the most changes in 2012. In Tuesday night’s reorganization meeting, Leetsdale Council appointed Joseph McGurk president and Wes James vice president. Council voted to dissolve the administrative positions of manager, senior clerk and junior clerk. Manager Paul Scimio and junior clerk Sandy Bajsec were removed from their positions. Elizabeth Petalino was reinstated as borough secretary and treasurer. She is also in charge of collecting the local service tax. Council also hired a new solicitor, Megan M. Ott of …
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The borough council approves the 2012 budget and tax rate, which remains at 5.4 mills.
Edgeworth Borough real estate taxes have remained the same for the past eight years. Now, thanks to a unanimous vote to approve the 2012 final budget, the taxes will hold firm for the ninth straight year. In Tuesday night’s meeting, the borough council confirmed the previous 5.4-mill tax rate for 2012. At 5.4 mills, a property owner assessed at $100,000 will continue to pay $540. Even though the future of the value of borough homes is uncertain due to the delayed Allegheny County reassessments, Edgeworth has estimated that it would receive the exact amount of revenue to support its budget of $2,507,400. Currently, the combined value of all of Edgeworth’s real estate is about $280 million, with the median property value being $320,000. This…
40.550251
-80.190405
Edgeworth Borough
301 Beaver Rd, Sewickley, PA
/articles/edgeworth-hold-taxes-firm-for-ninth-straight-year
1258592
/locations/6051571
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Council hopes to receive grant from county to demolish boarded-up home on Pine Manor.
Bell Acres is working to raze blighted properties in the borough, one eyesore at a time. At the top of the list is a home at 105 Pine Manor that the borough has already condemned and hopes to tear down by summer. The boarded-up residence sits off Camp Meeting Road at the entrance of Pine Manor, a private roadway in Bell Acres. Council began looking into a grant last year through the Allegheny County Health Department to cover the cost of demolishing the two-story home. Council President Dennis Young said earlier this week that Bell Acres was waiting to hear word on whether the borough has been approved for the grant. Either way, the unsafe house will be torn down. “The house is going to come down,” Young said. “It is a safety hazard.” …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Council treasurer, councilman to step down, effective Jan. 1, and third vacancy created with the election of Cindy Phillips to two- and four-year terms.
Sewickley Hills Borough took a step closer to solidifying its governing boards by discussing three different vacancies on the board at its Monday meeting. Effective Jan. 1, current council treasurer Larry Hermes will resign. In addition, current councilman Klaus Gross is resigning from his position on the planning commission. In addition, the council has an empty seat because current Vice President Cindy Phillips won the vote in the November general election for both the two-year and four-year council seats. “It’s the same as somebody running as both a Republican and a Democrat,” said Phillips. “There may be political advantages, and at the time I didn’t know what they may or may not be. So I simply ran for both seats and it just worked …
40.564988
-80.122868
Sewickley Hills Borough Hall
349 Magee Rd, Sewickley, PA
/articles/sewickley-hills-looks-to-fill-council-vacancies
1838177
/locations/6002948
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Please share your knowledge and wisdom with us — and the Sewickley community
Dear Moms: We want to talk to you. And we want you to talk to us. Often. We know you've got wisdom to share — not just with your children, but with other moms facing the same challenges, dilemmas, joys and opportunities you've faced over time. And we know that although it seems like you can do everything (it really, really seems that way — we never stop being amazed by it), it wouldn't hurt to have some fellow moms around. People you could bounce ideas off. People who could offer their own advice, from their own adventures in parenthood. Here's the deal: Starting very soon, we're going to be producing a lot of material we hope you'll find useful. Tips and stories on everything from finding the best pediatrician to the best spot for a …
40.536457
-80.184503
Sewickley Borough
Municipal Building, Sewickley, PA
/articles/dear-moms-youre-awesome-and-we-need-your-help-117
1257474
/locations/3491911
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sewickley Manager Kevin Flannery applied for the five-year permit six years ago.
Sewickley Council members shared a laugh Tuesday night over a late-in-coming permit the borough has received after it applied a half-dozen years ago. Borough Manager Kevin Flannery said Sewickley recently received a five-year permit from the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program that aims to control pollutants discharged in surface waters as part of the Clean Water Act. But the strange part, Flannery said, is that he applied six years ago for the five-year permit. The borough should have received it in 2006, he said. Because Sewickley oversees its own wastewater treatment plant operations, the permit gives the borough the necessary approval to make discharges into the Ohio River. …
40.536457
-80.184503
Sewickley Borough
Municipal Building, Sewickley, PA
/articles/the-wait-has-been-lifted-sewickley-receives-environmental-permit
1257474
/locations/3026117
Jack Faulkner
8:15 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
Attend monthly meetings to understand issues. Ask questions. Obtain a copy of the municipalities Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances for vision on what and where opportunities for improvement are needed. Get a copy of the budget to determine where $$ is being spent. Keep up to date on what municipalities adjoining are doing that might impact yours. Place your name on the ballot by getting … more ›