Sewickley Herald

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Edgeworth Glenfield Haysville Leet Township Leetsdale Osborne Sewickley Sewickley Heights Sewickley Hills
Vol. 86 No. 7©
The Sewickley
Herald
Wednesday, February 15,1989
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19 Gateway Press Newspapers
SUMURSAN PITTSBURGH'S LARGEST CIRCULATION
50*
Inside
2
St. Stephen's issue: What do you think?
3
Sewickley looks at YMCA tax ruling
4
Herald announces awards for 1968
6
Stardust, sawdust at 1989 wing ding
Even rival mayoral candidates Pete Schlicht and Marie Guy forgot their differences on Friday in order to Welcome Keith Stewart, Sewickley’s new borough manager. Stewart replaces Steve Perry, who resigned last year. Also on the welcoming committee in council chambers was Jack Herbst, chief of the Cochran Hose Company. For more on the party, see page 3.	(Photo by James Addison)
QV hoopers capture Section 13 crown
Leetsdale votes for Heights dispatching
Bv Ed Stankowski Jr.
Leetsdale Council voted last week to enter into a joint police and fire dispatching agreement with Sewickley Heights.
Before a final agreement can be reached, however, the measure must be approved by the borough’s police committee. In addition, Sewickley Heights Council also must agree to the plan.
Leetsdale Mayor Robert Mercer said Sewicklejr Heights will make a decision at its Feb. 20 meeting. Mercer also said he was sure Sewickley Heights .will approve the measure.
Some council members expressed concern Leetsdale was “jumping the gun” in seeking to enter into an agreement with Sewickley Heights. In a sometimes heated debate, Councilman Phil Perciavalle charged Council President Thomas Molitor with making a “hasty” decision.
But Molitor said it was time to take action, “I’ve had it up to here with dispatching,” Molitor said of the yearlong search for a solution to the
borough’s dispatching woes. “Something has been lax; we have to do something.”
Molitor, who was unable to persuade council to make a motion to approve the agreement, surrendered his seat to Vice President Peter Poninsky and made the motion himself.
The motion carried by a 4-3 margin, with Mayor Mercer’s casting the deciding vote. In addition to the mayor, Molitor, Poninsky and Walter Kretzler voted in favor of the measure; coun-cilmen Perciavalle, Roger Nanni and Michael Maruca opposed the plan.
Police Committee Chairman James Bell, who last year promised to resolve the issue within six months, was absent from last week’s meeting.
There were no cost estimates available, but Mayor Merrrrceer assured council, “Sewickley Heights is not interested in making money.” Councilman Maruca, who along with the mayor and borough Police Chief Michael Poninsky met with Sewickley Heights officials last month* estimated the price of the service will not exceed
$1,500 a year.
Under the, terms of the agreement, Leetsdale would join Sewickley Heights for a six-month trial period. If the plan is adopted, the borough will pay for the installation of phone lines to receive fire calls; police calls will be transferred using the phone company’s call forwarding service.
Earlier in the week, Leet Township commissioners said they had received favorable proposals from several com-.munities but were also considering joining Sewickley Heights.
In the past, Leetsdale personnel handled dispatching services for neighboring Leet Township.
In other developments, council added Leetsdale resident Barry McQuaide to the Leetsale Police Force as a part-time office. McQuaid had been performing those duties for the last several months. He joins Rodney F. Gowers, Len D. Thornley, Vernon S. Krayniewski, Robert J. Yasick and Andrew J. Pszen-ny, who were appointed to the force at last month’s meeting.
Leetsdale Mayor Robert Mercer cast the crucial vote last week, by which his borough will join with Sewickley Heights for dispatching.
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