Sewickley Herald

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Serving Aleppo, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Haysville, Leet, Leetsdale, Osborne, Sewickley, Sewicldey Heights, Sewicldey Hills
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
i.....INSIDE-
TEMPO
Dante, the Doberman, guards baby Jonothan as he enjoys a nap. Dante found a new home through a local rescue group. See Page 15.
HISTORY
The day they had been waiting for finally arrived July 12. At a little alter 6:3.0 p.m., Fame was unveiled. Applause rose from the audience, and the ceremony continued. Page 3.
SPORTS
Leet Township Mepps Master Angler John Hayes and friends enjoy fishing locally and abroad, for more on his sport, See Page 23.
Local News			
Opinion.....		
School........		.1041
	
Obituaries..........	..*.22
Sports.......				
REGION
RESIDENTS LOOK over geographical and topographical maps prior to the start of the listening session for the ASO comprehensive plan.	, ■ ■
Residents discuss municipal plan
By Laura Halleman
Staff writer
Consultants, local officials and a meager number of residents attended the first public listening session to discuss the Aleppo, Sewickley and Osborne (ASO) Joint Municipal Plan,
With ASO consultants from Environmental Planning and Design, LLC (EPD) present to explain the joint municipal plan process, the meeting was an opportunity for those attending to understand the demographics of each municipality involved and offer suggestions associated with future development, provision of services and possible consolidation of those services.
Described as a “blueprint” for the.entire com: munity, EPD consultant Andrew J. Schwartz explained the ASO plan was not a zoning map, but rather a basis for developing a'zoning map.
One of the first steps in the process of completing a joint plan is to acquire data about each municipality. With much of this work already collected by the 741+ Visioning and Economic Impact Study, the ASO plan is a step ahead.
“We will be using the material they did to come up with the plan, and I'd like, to personally
thank them for their work,” said Barbara Carrier, ASO committee president.
The more pertinent demographics that came from the data included the overall population of the area.
Based on the 2000 census, Sewickley’s population has seen a substantial decrease in the past 40 years while Osborne has remained relatively constant. Aleppo’s population has seen a growth spurt and continues to grow.
In terms of house unit occupancy, all three municipalities have more than 90 percent occupancy rates, with Osborne having the highest owner-occupancy rate at 93 percent. Sewickley, however, has a 58 percent owner-occupied rate in comparison.
Schwartz attributed this statistic to the large amount of subdivided housing units into rentals.
“A lot of those traditional houses are apartments —17 percent of housing stock in Sewickley has at least 10 units or more, five percent more than what’s in Allegheny County,” he said.
During public comments, some pointed out the need for more parks and recreation areas, while others expressed concern over rising prop-
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Volume 102, Issue 29
LEETSDALE
Bridge closure surprise fixed by council
By Laura Halleman
Sta ff writer_________________
Washington Street residents were caught off guard last week when a bridge connecting their road to Route 65 was closed without prior notice.
Members of council were equally surprised by the closure of the bridge and only learned of it after they were inundated with calls from upset residents.
"Needless to say last Friday was a really stressful day," said Council President Linda Sovich.
"We have assured residents that we (council) are there for their rights."
The bridge is the primary access to Route 65 for homes and businesses along Washington Street, which is located west of Route 65 along the Ohio River.
With the bridge closed, the only access to Route 65 from Washington Street is the intersection of Ferry Street and Route 65, a heavily congested intersection used by tractor-trailer trucks to gam entrance to businesses along the riverside.
Sovich said the bridge closure stemmed primarily from miscommunication.
Without notifying the borough, Leetsdale Industrial Park (LIP) closed the bridge and placed concrete barriers across the bridge in order to clear a Beaver Street landslide that has left a portion of that road closed since the landslide occurred last year.
"Not only did they put barriers up, they didn't mark them well for motorists to see," said
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