Sewickley Herald

              A Gateway Publications Newspaper
Sewkkley
Vol. 91 No. 5
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! oefstiale, Osborne, Sowlrfcley, Sevvidloy i ieightn, Sewickley Hills.
Wednesday, February 2, 1994
Or. Oiu Sartgodeyiof
ieet nasa
aream ror African-
Americans He shares his vision as Black History Month begins. See page 13.
50 Cents
INSIDE
People
s.
/
♦ Thislcdy loves festive . occasions, especially the shop si le owns on Broad Street in: ■ Sewickley. Kafen Walsh tells all as our neighbor of the ■weefei:, ■
Page IX
Health
♦	Dr. James D'Anfonio
is puffing: Sewickley Valley Hospital on the map when it comes to joint-replacement surgery. ...
Page 19.
Real Estate
♦	The home of the week is a four-bedroom colonial in Sewickley Heights. It's yours for $650,000.
Page 22.
INDEX
Thingt ,	
Opinion			
ViHogeVoices.		7
letters		
SthoolNews..,.	
Religion				21
Obituaries			n
Sports			23
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BASKET WEAVER: Quaker Valley's C.J. Green (#34) looks to thread the needle against South Fayette last week. The Quakers won the game 63-54. For more on QV, see page
▼ QUAKER VALLEY
Residents
confront
By BUTCH MAIE8 Staff writer
23.
Photo by Davidson Chan
r COUNTY
Commissioners support tax plan
Allegheny County commissionersTom Foerster and Pete Flaherty joined state Rep. Ron Gamble in supporting legislation to mandate all municipalities and school districts within Allegheny
County adopt the gentrification ordinance currently in place in the county that caps property assessment increases for longtime homeowners.
Gamble introduced the legislation last week, mandating all municipalities and school districts in the county adopt the county gentrification ordinance, which provides that all persons who have owned/otcupied their homes for SO years or mere are eligible to apply for an exemption for assessment increases in excess of five percent.
“Allegheny County is the only coiuity in Pennsylvania to adopt the five percent cap on reassess-
ments,” said Foerster. “This legislation will compel municipalities and school districts to follow suit and further protect the long-term homeowner."
The county ordinance was passed by the commissioners in May R1D0 and enacted July i, 191)1. Of 171 additional taxing bodies in Allegheny County, only six - JLeetsdale Borough, Bethel Park Borough and School District, North Allegheny School District, Franklin Park and Green Tree Borough - have enacted similar ordinances.
Sewickley Heights nixed a gentrification proposal there last month.
The commissioners also said they want to freeze assessments for eligible low-income senior-citizen homeowners, pending implementation of Hie regional asset district legislation.
Close to 500 Quaker Valley School District property owners sat in on the latest school board regular monthly meeting.
However, this month, the meeting was quite irregular.
“I would like to thank you all for coming,” mentioned School Beard President Cnesier Fossee, who was met with sarcastic chuckles.
But these residents were not stuffed into Edgeworth School’s .gymnasium for laughs.
^They were there to vent on the school board for the average 37 percent increase in property assessments, which some residents of the 11 QV communities blamed on the school board.
For a time, the residents were stifled, as the board proceeded ■ with its normal agenda, and seconds seemed to last for minutes.
Until someone was bold enough to speak up,
“I’d like to get to the meat of this meeting,” piped Sewickley resident Peter Floyd, prompting a round of applause from his audience.
“You are out of order,” charged Fossee, as the board was hearing school topics a t tha t time.
Floyd, who heads a group of revolters unhappy with the assessment situation, attempted to continue, saying, “1 am the appointed spokesman.,..”
“You are out of order,” Fossee interrupted again.
' Floyd, pushed on with his message, pointing out that, yes,, the QV School Board had a deficit when proposing its budget and choosing to reassess 124 of its neighbors.
“Either act immediately, with a significant redaction In saill-• age,” demanded Floyd, “or, in lieu of that, we strongly request the resignation of all Quaker
Continued on page 3





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