Angry Resident Threatens Lawsuit and More Notes from Whitehall Council Meeting

Major Topics

Resident Threatens Lawsuit

A middle-aged man stood up from his seat behind Chief Donald R. Dolfi during public comments time of the Council meeting on Wednesday night and asked borough officials if they had read a letter that he sent to them regarding fees charged against him by the borough's "incompetent" police department.

Borough solicitor Irving Firman said that he had read the letter but that the man's claim hasn't been determined to have merit.

The man said that he would file a lawsuit against the borough and stormed out of the council's meeting room, pausing momentarily to leer at Dolfi.

The council called a closed executive session after the meeting to discuss how to proceed should legal action ensue.

The man spoke his name quickly when addressing the council but couldn't be stopped for verification.

Resident Looks to Flip Former Country Club Property

A Whitehall resident wants to change the zoning on land that she hopes to sell. The resident's land is along Provost Road and was formerly occupied by the Whitehall Country Club.

John Thatcher, a commercial real estate specialist with All Pittsburgh Real Estate, spoke to the council on the resident's behalf.

Thatcher said that the property is currently zoned for high-density residential housing. Changing that designation would make the property easier to sell, he said, but he didn't have a definite plan for what would be developed there.

Councilman Philip Lahr asked for ideas to consider and said that he'd be in favor of changing zoning for a good proposal.

A senior living facility, among other ideas, came out of that discussion.

"This would be a wonderful project," Lahr said at , "and it would bring in a lot of tax dollars."

Thatcher plans to meet with officials to discuss the development further.

New Fire Station Update

Architect Mark Edelmann told the council that progress on construction of  is moving rapidly. Edelmann received approval for spending, which has now reached roughly half of the expected $2.6-million total.

The roof on the new station is 90-percent finished, Edelmann said. All electrical work is completed, and the driveway is expected to paved by year's end.

Edelmann said that he didn't foresee any unexpected costs, but when he read off a list of expenses for the installation of some electronic equipment at the new station, that came as news to Councilman Glenn Nagy.

"I don't think that I was aware we were buying computers and televisions for the fire department," Nagy said.

Other council members said that they were aware of the spending, which was billed as "Furnishings and Equipment."

Among those expenses was a computerized "smart board" that cost $7,637 and would be used for training purposes, Edelmann said.

New Deposit for Borough Keys

The council discussed enforcing a $25 deposit fee for anyone who borrows a key to a borough-owned building.

Nagy said that representatives of the Greater Baldwin Whitehall Athletic Association, in particular, have been lax about returning keys that they borrow, and as a result, the borough has had to change locks every few years.

“That may keep the number of keys they take down,” borough manager James E. Leventry said.

Money collected from the fees would go toward the cost of replacing locks.

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