Sewickley Herald

              ii ro
dardanell
publication
Herald
Suburban Pittsburgh's Largest Audited Paid Newspapers
Twenty Cents

May 16,1979
rwo Sections
Xf/vt on TWT„ HA * «». W ltu> 6U
Police hold
ceremony on lawn
• fk	.
In an impressive ceremony on the lawn of the Sewickley Municipal Building, the Sewickley Police Department hallowed the memory of deceased officers at noon on Saturday.
Afterwards, two Kwanzan weeping cherry trees were planted on the lawn in memory of the late Chief Thomas Pren-dergast, -Sr., who served the department from 1937 to 1966, and his son, the late Officer ThomasPrendergast Jr., 1948 to 1978.	. ....
In the audience were .Thomas ;Pren-dergast III and his small son, Timothy.
Former Chiefs Lee S. Jones and Bertil Neely - were recognized and R.J. Edgar' who served the department many years.
Chief Walter Brannon’s 26 years of service was noted. •	-
Receiving . Firearms Award, from the company’s Distinguished Expert Sgt. Frank Weigand were Anthony Bruno, Marksman; Bernard Tomayko, Marksman, Mark Wuycheck, Sharpshooter; Robert Bock, Marksman; George Preininger, Marksman; AlfonsoScalercio, Expert; Harold* Pickett, .Sharpshooter, and Nicholas Bruich, Marksman.
Principal speaker was former Sewickley officer Albert Vish. now State Trooper
Albert ViSh, Butler Barracks.
Vish said that as he listened to the .remarks of others, he realized how fortunate he had been—“To be An American, to have had the privilege of serving the' community of Sewickley as a police officer and also for. the past 12 years, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a member of the State Police.”
Vish outlined the responsibilities of police service. (His remarks are printed on Page 5 of today’s Herald.)
Sheriff Eugene Coon arrived rather breathless, a victim of the gas shortage. Coon said that he believes law enforcement has advanced tremendously oyer 15 years.Heis especially proud of the county’s Police Academy which trains the officers, but “that doesn’t turn out a finished police office, it’s on the streets, in the line of duty that the good officer is trained,” he said. ‘
Also taking par t in the program were the Rev. James Dollhopf, James Egan, vice-president F.O.P. 91 and Mayor David P. Guilot, Sewickley.
Officers Weigand, Scalercioand Robert BoCk were chairman of the 2nd Annual Police Memorial Day.
County oks improvement
The County Commissioners moved May 10 to aid Sewickley Borough in* dealing with a serious public safety problem and to assure the success of the community’s housing rehabilitation program.
The commissioners gave final agreement to use $63,000 in federal Community Development funds' to assist the borough in the reconstruction of Crescent Avenue. Sewickley is to provide $7;000 aslts share of the $70,000 project.
The project will include the installation of new guard rails, pavement, and draining facilities along with the rebuilding of the road.
The commissioners pointed out Crescent Avenue is located on a steep hill, which is starting to slide and presents a hazard to motorists and homeowners. “We also soon expect to assist the borough in launching a housing rehabilitation program in that neighborhood, and the improvement of the street is a necessity for the. success of the program,-” said the commissioners.
Sewickley Borough manager Martin McDaniel said Sewickley applied for the
Double your fun
-grant in October, 1978. The road is difficult . to maintain in winter because snowplows cannot negotiate the .high crown. The narrow width, between 12-14 ft, makes two- v way traffic difficult, and- at times impossible, , for residents and drivers of service and emergency vehicles.
McDaniel said .the next-step is to hire an engineer, then let bids. The project may not be completed until the summer of 1980, he said.
AS THE TWIG IS-BENT. Little Timothy Thomas Prendergast is held by ..is father Thomas Prendergast III. The two Kwanzan weeping cherry trees were planted in memory of the late Chief Thomas Prendergast and Officer Prendergast,-at special ceremonies on the lawn of the Sewickley Municipal Building Saturday. .
(Photo by Margaret Marshall)
Planned retail store rouses Aleppo

'Rumors of a planned commercial building in residential Sewickley Heights Manor caused nearly two dozen Aleppo ' residents to crowd the township’s board of — commissioners’ meeting on May 8th.
C.D. Reese, Jr., a member of the Aleppo Planning Commission who lives on Trailside Drive in Sewickley Heights Manor, asked the conuhissioners about the land at the corner of Trailside and Sewickley Heights Drives that had been reserved to Minnock Construction Company. developers of the condominium townhouses.
Chairman Alfred H. Pegher said plans recorded for the development in 1975 had included provision for an area to be set aside for possible use for a retail store, with the building not to be over 2,000 square feet in<area. The store would sell groceries, drugs, and cosmetics to local residents.
Pegher said the site Was not zoned for commercial use, but that tentative approval had been granted when Minnock made his initial request in 1973.
Township solicitor RobertF. Stone noted the request had been made during a public hearing on the proposed development and that it was part of thepublic transcript of the proceedings.
Another Trailside Drive resident asked what procedure developer Minnock Would have to foilow to obtain a building permit for the store.
Pegher told the residents Minnock would
have to follow to obtain a building permit for the store.
Pegher told the residents Minnock would have to make application to the township engineer and that the Aleppo Planning Commission would have to study the plans and hold a public hearing on the proposal before it could make a recommendation to the commissioners.
The board of commissioners, Pegher noted, would then make a final determination on the matter.
“We have had no application from Minnock to date,” Pegher said. “But I believe we’ll have plenty of input from residents on this issue," Pegher added.
“I’ll sayl” rejoined a resident of the condominium community.
And another added, “A lot of us thought this was just to be a residential area.”
Trailside Drive resident James Sullivan claimed the building plans had been “drastically changed from what was originally shown in the sales office model.”
Sullivan said another street and more townhouses had been built than original plans had led him to believe.
In response to Sullivan’s question about how residents would find out about the public hearing, Pegher said it would be advertised in the local newspaper.
He again stressed that the township had so far not received an application for a building permit from Minnock, and the residents seemed satisfied With the ex-
planation they had been given.
Commissioner James Addison reported the form for conducting a census of the township had been received, and the board unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing a periodic census of Aleppo.
Chairman Pegher read the form aloud and noted the census only asked for a resident’s name, address, social security number, date of birth, employer’s name, and the names of any children in the household.
Berdine Drive resident Mrs. Beverly Harris, who has been hired as the census taker, was instructed to be sworn-in by district magistrate James Russo, receive an identification card, and begin the census as soon as possible..
The Aleppo commissioners also gave unanimous approval for the township to participate for two years in the juvenile officer program to be sponsored by the Quaker Valley Council of Government (QV-COG).
Sewickley councilwoman Marie Guy, president of QV-COG, told the Commissioners, “We certainly have a great problem in our schools. Taking this action recognizes that we have a problem and that we are doing something about it. ”
Aleppo and Edgeworth borough are the only two of the eleven municipalities in the Quaker Valley School District that are not part of QV-COQ. Aleppo officials had been reluctant to participate in the juvenile Continued onpage 24