Sewickley Herald

              The Herald
The Sewickley Valley's Home-News Weekly
Vol. 34.   No. 13.
SEWICKLEY, PA., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1937
Price 5 Cents
BOROUGH'S YEAR
Sewickley Manager's Report Recalls
Improvements
The annual report submitted to Sewiekley council by Borough Manager
Jolm C. Hiteshew for 1936 contains
many paragraphs of interest to citizens
of the borough.
It recalls last March's flood emergency, when "22 houses were in tho
flooded area, most of them having
wator above their flrst floor level. Tho
receding waters left a heavy layer of
mud on properties and streets on Chadwick Streot between Walnut and Academy, and for some distance on Grant,
Ferry and Bank Streets. As soon as
possiblo after the water receded, and
the mud was solid enpugh to handle,
.100 WPA mon and trucks wore sent
to us, and stayed on the job until all
collars, yards and streets wore completely clonnod; lime was spread ovor
all lawns and vacant lots. Tho work
contributed by WPA amountod to
$2,765.00, and it would unquestionably
have cost us nearly that amount from
our own funds had wo dono all the work
ourselves.    As  it  was,  wo  furnished
somo men and trucks and our total cost
on all flood work was $740.78, including
extra policing of the flooded area."
"In addition to tho sevoral Watot-
Works projects, both on the Heights
and in Sowickloy, tlie borough had a
Small project of cleaning out Hoey's
-Run storm sewer between Bank Street
and tho river. An estimated grand
total of all WPA work dono since December, 1033, both local contribution
and government labor, would bo
approximately $250,000."
"Too much cannot bo said of tlio
oxcellent work dono by our Water Commission. By pumping night and day,
wator was kept from flooding tlio pit
at tho pumping station, and with sufficient wator in tho rcsorvoirs to last a
wook, thoy woro able to continue pumping immediately after power was restored. Wo not only had pure water
for our own uso during tho flood, but
wator was furnished to nine other
towns that woro without water,"
Tho report notes the tarring of all
asphalt streets, which aro now iu such
good condition that tho annual maintenance is likely to continue to be
lower   year   by   year;   tlio   Hopkins
Street improvement and paving, through
the generosity of George h. Craig;
planting of tho parks by the local garden chilis, as yet not quite completed;
renovation of tho borough building, including new electric fixtures in somo
rooms, inside painting, and repair of
termite damage. As to garbage service:
"The system of collection inaugurated four years ago has continued the
savings anticipated, of aproximatety
$2,000 por year." Tho change was in
the uso of the pick-up truck instead of
tho former taking up and replacement
of individual cans. Tho Arc at the
Glen Mitchell dump which started May
22nd, was finally extinguished Juno
4tli, "after a 2-inch pipe lino had boon
laid up Glon Mitchell Eoad from Beavor
Road, to supply wator, whilo a stoam
shovel was engaged for seven days for
turning ovor tlio dumped material as
it was being thoroughly waterod." No
ostimato has evor beon made public of
tho total cost of that dump-lire.
As to tho Are department tho report
says: "Tho members of tho Firo Department have again demonstrated
their ofllciency in tho romarkablo way
in which thoy have kept  small flres
from becoming larger ones. The cost
of maintaining the Are apparatus has
increased during the past year and will
continue to do so in tho future. It
will bo remombered that the La Franco
truck is ten and the Seagrave sixteen
years old. There were 26 alarms of
Are during the year, 24 in Sewickley
and two in Glen Osborne." Detailed
list of the causes of the Aros is given.
Detailed list of arrests during tho
year is given in connection with the
polico department. Cases totaled 497,
of which 110 wore for drunkenness, 47
drunk and disordorly. Of automobile
offenses, 27 woro for reckless driving,
77 for rod light violations, 19 for all-
night parking without lights, seven for
driving under influence of liquor. Only
one for "speeding" — and ono for
"blowing horn!" There woro olovon
arrests for loitering.
Efforts to collect delinquent taxes
havo mot with some suecoss, 58 proporty owners having taken advantage
of tho law remitting penalties, and
others are making partial paymonts.
Building pormits numbered 22, for
now building and alterations totaling
an ostimatod cost of $50,800,