MAHONING TOWNSHIP New police department slated to start up Oct. 1

The Pulaski police chief will be chief of the joint department.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- Startup of the new joint police department for Mahoning and Pulaski townships is now set for Oct. 1.
The department initially was slated to begin in July but has been delayed by legal details.
Mahoning Supervisor Gary Pezzuolo made the announcement when supervisors met Tuesday. Officials added that the department will be accessible by calling 911 or a nonemergency number to be announced later.
It will have two full-time and five part-time officers and provide round-the-clock police coverage.
Jim Morris, current chief of the Pulaski Township Police Department, will serve as chief of the joint department.
Morris also was recently hired as Mahoning Township's code enforcement officer.
Currently, Mahoning Township's only police coverage comes from the Pennsylvania State Police, which provides protection to Lawrence County townships that have no police departments.
Morris told a resident at the meeting the new police department may make it easier to prosecute trespassers on all-terrain vehicles who damage private property and ride through yards in the middle of the night, a source of many complaints.
Other work
Morris also reported on his work as the new township code enforcement officer. He has divided the township into sections and is searching each section for violators, who are then sent a notice. Citizens also can initiate complaints, but they will have to go to court for a hearing, he said.
Supervisors said they will lease or sell the old school on Pa. Route 551 in Edinburg to the Edinburg Veterans' Memorial Association when the association obtains a nonprofit charter.
The group wants to tear down the old school and move the war memorial, which formerly stood at U.S. Route 224 and Route 551, onto the property. The township engineer is doing an asbestos study on the building.
Supervisors also announced that the annual township cleanup will take place in October and November. The pickup schedule will be announced later.
Supervisors also told Solicitor Tom Leslie and Engineer Greg DelPrincipe to pursue action against the owner of property at the corner of Churchill and Overlook roads that has a wall in danger of collapsing. The owner must repair the wall or tear it down.
Supervisors also will meet soon with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation representatives to discuss clogged pipes and flooding that occurred on Route 224 and Martin Kelly Spear Road, on Route 224 and Churchill, and on Route 551.