April 6 Borough of Whitehall Meeting Notes

Dog Bullies?

Nicholas Mamula, of 190 Thomas Drive, thinks that he has a case of bullying dogs.

At a  Council meeting on Wednesday night, Mamula presented a complaint about neighbors' dogs barking before 7 a.m.

"I, in my sleep, am used to the noise of diesel buses and things like that – normal behavior," Mamula said. "But no one is used to snapping, snarling dogs barking in such a way you are awakened frightened."

Mamula claims that the dogs in question reside on nearby Peach Drive. He provided specific addresses to the Whitehall Council. He said he had spoken to an employee of Lewis Tree Company "at 7:10 on 29 March" who had corroborated with Mamula on the nuisance the dogs posed.

"One is a barker. Fine," Mamula said, “but the other two are dangerous Rottweilers."

Council member Harold Berkoben questioned the time that Mamula had spoken to the tree workers, saying, "Tree cutters shouldn't be out there at 7 a.m."

Mamula dismissed that statement, demanding that the council make an ordinance against using dogs to bully.

"There already are ordinances that govern the behavior (of dogs)," said borough solicitor Irving Firman. "If you feel your safety is being threatened, it's a matter for the ."

Mamula asked if he might be permitted to bring videotaped evidence to the council, to which he was given assurance that he was always welcome.

Police Officer Virtual Reality Training

In his report, Mayor F. James Nowalk reported that "15 (Whitehall) officers have successfully completed an eight-hour force-simulator course," which was offered by the Pennsylvania State Police.

"The program utilizes state-of-the-art video technology that puts officers in stressful, deadly force scenarios," Nowalk said.

"It's like a gigantic video game," police Chief Donald R. Dolfi said. "You can actually see if you survived."

A Bridge Too Far Gone?

Prompted by Borough Manager James E. Leventry's report, council members continued a conversation from about the state of Whitehall's Heinen Street/Shadowlawn Drive pedestrian bridge. Originally used as a bridge for vehicles, the structure has since been converted for foot traffic only, but its soundness is now in question.

"I really think there's a use for that bridge," Berkoben said. "I don’t know if it's beyond repair, though."

"There's only one access in and out (of that particular area)," Nowalk said. Nowalk also pointed out "some safety issues" with that bridge, though.

One such safety issue is whether or not the bridge is handicapped accessible.

"I'm even wondering if the slope going down to the bridge is ADA-compliant," said council member Glenn Nagy, who made a motion to have the borough's Public Works Committee further explore options for the bridge. The motion passed.

ADA stands for Americans With Disabilities Act.

Cost-Cutting

Later in the meeting, a heated discussion took place over the number of pages in the borough's newsletter. Council member Kathleen N. DePuy asked why the newsletter had gone over an agreed-upon count of 24 pages.

Council member Philip Lahr, who had been volunteering his time to put together the newsletter, protested, saying that DePuy was "penny-ing things to death."

"We cannot continue to badger ourselves over $2 to $3 items," Lahr said, offering an idea to have the newsletter sponsored by local businesses.

"Then you just trash it up," Nagy said in disagreement with that idea.

Berkoben suggested publishing the newsletter only once per year, but that idea was also met with disapproval.

Each council member agreed that the newsletter is still of benefit to the community.

Whitehall Place Learns a New Word

In her library report, DePuy reported that the had been concerned over being underutilized by .

"So, we went over to (the) ," DePuy said, "and we found out they (many residents there) didn't know the word 'library.'

"After that, the library couldn't process cards fast enough."

DePuy passed around photos of many refugees boarding buses to go to the Whitehall Public Library.

"Because of the language barrier, there's a lot of educating that needs to take place over there," Nagy said.

DePuy also reminded the council and meeting attendants about the library's upcoming fundraiser –  at the this Sunday, April 10, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $5.