Sewickley Herald

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Twenty Cents
Wednesday, June 27,1979
In Two Sections
Vol. 80 No. 26
Sewickley passes parking ordinances
Despite some temporary relief from the parking shortage, parking continues to be a major concern in Sewickley.
At its meeting on June 18th, Sewickley Council approved two ordinances aimed at solving parking problems in the borough.
The one (No. 986) is amendment to the ordinance that mandates “resident only” parking on certain streets in the vicinity of the Sewickley Valley Hospital.
The other ordinance (No. 987) increases the fine for a second violation within a twenty-four hour period for overtime parking at meters to $5.
The fine for the first meter violation remains at 50c if paid in one hour or $2 if paid within three days.
The increased fine for a second violation, however, is expected to discourage all-day parkers and make more spaces available for patrons of village businesses.
In addition, councilman James Maloney, chairman of council’s public safety committee noted a meter maid has been hired. “She has increased the volume of ticketing considerably,” Maloney said.
But, Maloney observed that a suggestion to replace the 72 ten-hour parking meters in the borough with ones that would limit parking to one or two hours would not work -now because there is no money in the budget to pay for them. The cost for replacing the meters has been estimated at between $4,000 to $5,700.
Council referred a request from D. B. Hartman, 410 Thorn Street, for a solution to the problem he has with parking in front of his residence to the public safety committee.
The 400 block of Thorn Street is one of several residentially zoned areas in the borough that have parking meters on the streets, and councilman Robert Wood suggested the public safety committee find out if other residents are having problems with vehicles parking at meters in front of their homes.
Maloney also noted Mrs. Jean George, chairman of citizens’ parking committee that has made a number of constructive suggestions on ways to solve Sewickley’s parking problems, intended to call another meeting to further discuss the longstanding problem.
Under other matters.related to public safety, Maloney reported attending the latest Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority meeting and informing the members that
Sewickley still wants to see the ambulance housed on the Sewickley side of the Ohio River.
He said that although the ambulance service’s director Gary Buimworth, ' maintains the response time for calls to Quaker Valley communities is not adversely affected by having the ambulances housed at the Valley Ambulance Authority quarters in Moon Township, members of Sewickley Council still believe the ambulance should be, in the center of the population.
Maloney also said council is interested in learning more about the financial matters of the ambulance authority. He said he was surprised to learn the ambulance service needs a full-time bookkeeper and that the ambulance service has received no federal grant money that he believes it could qualify for.
Sewickley’s borough manager, Martin C. McDaniel, however, has been looking for outside funds for borough projects.
McDaniel noted that one of criteria for the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation grants was how much money a community had previously received. Since Sewickley has received none, McDaniel thinks Sewickley’s chance for receiving some assistance “Might be relatively high.”
Council also passed a resolution McDaniel presented urging Congress to continue the Federal Revenue Sharing prpgrgm withstates and municipalities. -
In other business at the council meeting:—authorized the borough civil service commission to give the police sergeant’s examination a second time to members of the department because scores were “disappointing” on the first test;
—learned the Sewickley Water Commission had increased rates, effective July 1st, by seven percent;
—was presented a fact sheet on the Sewickley Bridge problem and learned that design work on a new bridge will stop unless a new state budget is approved that gives the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation more money;
—planned a workshop meeting for July 2nd, at 7; 30 p.m., to interview candidates for the vacancy on the Sewickley Planning Commission;
—appointed council president Frank J. Sacco, Jr., who was absent from the meeting, as chairman of public works
committee;	Quaker Valley Council of Governments’
—and appointed councilwoman Marie Guy	supervisory committee for its juvenile
as Sewickley’s representative to the officer program.
WHEEL-Y FUN. Guarded by safety equipment Jerry Fleig maintains his balance while riding the front wheels on his skateboard. More pictures on Page 1 of Section 2 in today’s Herald.
(Photo by Margaret Marshall)
Gas crunch hits Sewickley
By Rick Xander
. The gas crunch of ‘79 hit Sewickley last week, including long lines, limited hours and station-hopping tank-toppers.
While the lines at gasoline stations weren’t as long as those in California last month, nor like those seen nationwide in 1973, about eight or nine customers were lined up on Monday at those Sewickley stations that had gas to sell. By Wednesday, police were called to direct traffic at some stations that had lines as long as a block. Customers were advised the pumps would close whenever the station sold its daily limit.
At least two stations in Sewickley had run out of gas by Tuesday after receiving a truckload on Saturday. "We haven’t had gas for a week," Ed Brosie, of Brosie’s Sewickley Gulf Service at the corner of Beaver and Chestnut Streets, said last Friday. "We Were supposed to get nine truckloads this month and only got fouf. I have no gas to work with, I can’t even give any to my preferred customers, because it’s against the law. When I run out, I have to wait in line like everybody else,” he said.
Joe Wilson of Hovis Sunoco, located off the Sewickley Bridge, said his station closed for three days after pumping more than 1,500 gallons between 9:15 a.m. and
3:30 p.m, on Tuesday. The station has contracts with firms such as Valley Ambulance Authority and Sewickley Porsche-Audi. Wilson said his station would only serve its contracted customers and its own maintenance equipment when the tanks ran too low. “I’ll bet we’ve only got 50 to 75 gallons left in there,” Wilson said Friday.
Three of every four callers into John Herbst Inc. Exxon, Walnut and Thorn Streets, wanted to know if the station was pumping gas, according to office manager Josephine Sybo, “We tell them, we’re open for service until 7 p.m. We open the pumps at 8 a.m. and close after we’ve sold our allotment. Shades of 1973,” Mrs Sybo said.
Mrs. Sybo said the truck driver whomade last week’s delivery to Herbst’s was asked on his CB radio where the gas was being delivered.
Dominic Vescio, owner of Dorn’s Mobil station, off the Sewickley Bridge, said he had a chance to buy a load of gas for $1 a gallon but refused the offer. "People have indicated they don’t care what it costs, they’ll pay for it," Vescio said.
With Governor Richard Thornburgh’s reallocation of a half million gallons to Allegheny County, the local stations are
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