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Findlay Township Police Report The call was found to have originated in Texas (Dallas or Richardson). The investigating officer contacted the Social Security Administration, in Baltimore, Maryland and was told that the administration was not engaged in any national program of that nature and that they would not request personal information over the telephone. Based on the information received during the investigation, it appears that the automated message is a scam. Castle Shannon's Corporal Ian Phillipps receives Purple Heart Castle Shannon Borough Redesigns Baldwin Street Intersection Over the years this intersection has been without direct guidance for vehicles exiting Baldwin Street onto Willow Avenue and from Willow Avenue onto Baldwin Street. Port Authority tracks pass close to this intersection crossing Willow Avenue. Vehicles presently travel on angles to approach Willow Avenue from Baldwin Street and use the same pattern to approach Baldwin Street. The site picture is poor to motorists entering a high traffic volume road on Willow Avenue. The new design will guide vehicles to turn at 90 degrees left or right to enter Willow Avenue from Baldwin Street and the same angle turns from Willow Avenue to Baldwin Street. The intersection will have two new additional Stop Signs posted on Willow Avenue both north and south bound. Due to the site picture from Baldwin Street entering Willow Avenue, vehicles on Willow Avenue will stop. The stop will also assist motorists in observing vehicles entering Willow Avenue. This is a very busy intersection at all hours and presently does not have an organized traffic pattern for the intersection. The intersection will be officially posted in January. 2008 PROPOSED BUDGET Thursday, November 29, 2007 Council Monday voted to tentatively adopt a capital and operating budget of $3.4 million for 2008. After a period of public review, council will vote to finalize later this year. While the proposed budget does not contain any tax increases -- millage remains at 7.9 mills -- council president R.J. Zezulewicz Jr. said he expects tax increases in future years. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to pass a budget without any tax increases," he said. Copies of the proposed budget are at the borough building. • Council also voted to approve an increase to sewage rates. The new rate is $4.55 per 1,000 gallons, up from $4.30. This increased rate will be effective Jan. 1, said borough Manager Thomas Hartswick. The rate increase was driven largely by the high cost of repairing the borough's sewer lines. Click Here for map of the construction area. Route 88/Library Road, Castle Shannon and Pittsburgh No traffic restrictions at this time. Traffic now using temporary roadway. Completion May 2008. More than 200,000 elderly Pennsylvania residents have yet to apply for rebates on rents or property taxes. Income eligibility for the property tax rebates has jumped from $15,000 last year to $35,000 this year, not counting half of Social Security. The change came when the state earmarked part of its gaming revenue to reduce property taxes. Income eligibility for rent rebates remains at $15,000. Now, more than 575,000 elderly homeowners qualify for property tax rebates, up from 155,000. But more than 200,000 haven't applied for their property tax and rent rebates, and the state wants to see their applications arrive before the Dec. 31 deadline. Officials say people may know about the program but think their incomes are too high, unaware that eligibility levels have been raised. Council is pursuing plans to resurrect an official community day, likely to be held in 2008 on the Sunday preceding Memorial Day. Thomas Hartswick, borough manager, said that the community has traditionally held a fireworks display the day before Memorial Day, and last year the borough added to the celebration with jazz music and other activities. Castle Shannon plans to build on these traditions and make the day an official community day. A committee has been formed to work out the details. Council President R.J. Zezulewicz said the town has not held a formal community day in over 25 years. Lozier Corp. plans to close its store fixture manufacturing plant in Castle Shannon in August, a move that affects 48 workers. Production will cease July 13, and 23 workers will be released in the first phase of the shutdown, the company said Wednesday. The Killarney Drive plant will remain open while final orders are shipped. "There was a downturn in business for the product the plant produced," said Vickey Thayer, spokeswoman for Lozier Corp., a maker of store fixtures, partitions and back room storage systems based in Omaha, Neb. The company still operates a plant in McClure, Schuylkill County, with 116 workers. receives a federal grant The Volunteer Fire Department has received a federal grant of more than $68,000 as part of the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy presented the check to Fire Chief Bill Reffner and firefighters during a weekly Bingo Night at the fire hall last week. The grant also will be used to replace air bottles for firefighters' self-contained breathing apparatus and to buy four computers. There are 40 active members in the department who respond to about 360 calls each year. They are responsible for calls in both Castle Shannon and Baldwin Township. CASTLE SHANNON EMERGENCY SERVICES Castle Shannon Emergency Services continues to have a problem locating some addresses when called to respond for an incident or a medical emergency. Residents are required to post their house number in a specific pattern on the front of their home or business. Some house and building numbers have faded or have fallen off. This could be critical to answering an emergency. The borough has an ordinance covering house numbers as to their type, size and location on the home or business. It has not been enforced out of courtesy and with hope residents and businesses would comply. |
