March 2 Borough of Whitehall Meeting Notes

Resident concerns took center stage at a Council of the Borough of Whitehall regular meeting on March 2.

Jim Kilbert of 762 Dunn Drive, accompanied by his wife, Ann, asked the council for advice on how to handle a problem with . As the dairy’s business has grown, so have the sizes of its delivery trucks. The trucks are forced to drive into Kilbert's lawn in order to make a turn leaving the dairy's entrance across the street from his home.

“I spent $6,000 last year to have my yard landscaped,” Kilbert said. “I had a decorative curb put in with gravel, but they run through it and break it up.”

He voiced additional concerns that trucks are running over a gas line on his property. He had suggested to dairy officials that a wider entrance might solve the problem, but nothing has been done to date.

Councilman Philip Lahr sympathized, saying that when he lived in the same area, trucks would run into guard rails, knocking them down. Lahr suggested that Borough Manager James E. Leventry address the problem with the dairy officials.

Borough officials agreed that the real problem was that trucks that large simply can’t make the turn.

Councilman Glenn Nagy said that there might be a weight limit for trucks on residential roads. Council President Linda J. Book said that officials would investigate the issue at the next planning commission meeting.

Another resident, Joan Striegel of 1060 Duncan Lane, also addressed the council with a few issues.

“I was wondering if anything could be done about the deer [population],” Striegel said. “Yesterday, I had 30 of them in my backyard.”

All of the council members agreed that it was a problem. Lahr said that he had deer, foxes and turkeys at any given time in his backyard, but, as Nagy pointed out, it is not popular to control deer by killing them.

Other places addressing the problem “have tried everything, including birth control,” Nagy said. “But the only natural predator for a deer is a car.”

On a topic later addressed by Mayor James F. Nowalk, Striegel also voiced the concerns of residents about Clean Water Action representatives knocking on doors — even back doors — after dark. Both councilmen Lahr and Robert McKown said that they experienced the problem firsthand and have heard complaints about the demeanor, dress and cleanliness of the solicitors.

However, Police Chief Donald R. Dolfi said that between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven days per week, people are allowed to solicit without a permit.

Solicitor Irving Firman further clarified by saying that 9 o’clock was the “Supreme Court standard” and that other communities have tried to change that standard but to no avail.

“But there’s no reason for them to be going to the back door,” Dolfi said. “If anyone is worried about who is at their back door, they can call the police.”

Striegel announced the upcoming Relay for Life at on June 10 and 11. Striegel said that the event will include the boroughs of Brentwood, , and Pleasant Hills.

Nowalk said that the Whitehall Lions Club is interested in helping with the borough’s Earth Day activities. After council found difficulty getting volunteers last year, the participation of the Lions is welcomed. After some discussion, the council picked April 30 as its Earth Day celebration.

In her report, Engineer Ruthann L. Omer said that she would be attending the next Route 51 meeting with Gregory Jones, the new executive director of Economic Development South. Several council members were pleased that Jones is making so many contacts and attending events throughout the surrounding communities.

Leventry shared that he has been working with Energy Savers, which is designed to find ways to use clean, renewable energy. He also reported that he may have found someone to fill one of the three empty seats on the Whitehall Recreation Board but did not offer that person’s name. That person may officially join the recreation board at the borough’s next regular council meeting.

Lahr said that he has people in mind for the remaining two seats, though he did not mention names either.

one of the three Recreation Board slots had been filled. Lahr said he had found two other people as well for the board.

Book reminded council members that the borough’s spring newsletter will be coming out later this month and to submit their articles. McKown suggested a clear, visual chart to help residents understand how borough funds are spent.

“We need to talk to the public more about the budgeting process,” McKown said. “Eventually, it comes down to two options: cutting services or raising taxes.”

In her report on the , Councilperson Kathleen N. DePuy said that the library was looking at a new strategic plan to address how the function of a library is changing. The current one is four years old.

“A lot of people think – with e-books and new technology – why have a library?” said DePuy, who pointed out the new role of “special research, providing Internet access and engagement in local forums” that the library is now serving.

For more information on this or other Borough of Whitehall meetings, call 412-884-0505.

The borough’s next regular council meeting will be Wednesday, March 16, also at the Borough of Whitehall Municipal Complex on Borough Park Drive at 8 p.m.

The full 2011 Whitehall Borough meetings schedule is available , though those interested in attending are encouraged to call ahead in case of schedule changes.