Trustees act on curfew ordinance

The annual trash pickup begins Sept. 26.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HILLSVILLE, Pa. -- Mahoning Township trustees agreed to have a curfew ordinance prepared that will prohibit juveniles under 18 from being out between midnight and 6 a.m.
Solicitor Thomas Leslie will get the ordinance ready, along with one prohibiting operation of a "nuisance house" for adoption at the October meeting.
Curfew ordinance violators will be fined $100 for the first offense and $300 for subsequent offenses. Those who violate the nuisance house ordinance could be fined $300 and go to jail for 90 days.
The new laws are being prepared in response to numerous complaints about unruly youths roaming the township during the night, many of them on all-terrain vehicles.
Trash pickup
Also Tuesday, supervisors announced the annual township trash pickup will begin Sept. 26 and continue for two weeks. The neighborhood pickup schedule will be announced. Supervisor Poncho Exposito said trash should not be put out until the night before. Tires, batteries, glass, refrigerators with freon and anything over 8-feet long cannot be picked up, he said.
In related news, supervisors said a new trash receptacle will be placed at the Baird Road Fire Station sometime next week.
The township already provides three receptacles at the township building and one at the Edinburg Fire Station, where senior citizens who have obtained permits at the township offices may dump their trash.
Some, however, are dumping trash even after the receptacles are full, and supervisors suspect some using the receptacles are neither township residents nor senior citizens.
Supervisors said police will arrest anyone caught dumping illegally. Those dumping trash for qualifying people must carry their permits.
Township troubles
Also, Police Chief Jim Morris commented on recent remarks by one Pulaski Township Supervisor, who alleged his township is being shortchanged by the police department shared by Pulaski and Mahoning Township.
The two townships, which make up the Northwest Lawrence Regional Police Department, share costs equally.
Morris said the number of citations does not necessarily reflect the amount of time spent in each township. He said after the meeting that when the two townships were studied before forming the department, they were found to closely resemble each other in size, population and other characteristics.
He added that the novelty of having a local police department is likely contributing to a large number of calls in Mahoning Township. But he said, "I'm not going to change the way we are doing things. We have to respond to calls when we are needed."
Waterline construction
Supervisor Chairman Gary Pezzuolo announced that the Edinburg waterline construction project will be starting soon. He said the construction bid will be awarded Sept. 27 and construction will start a few weeks after that.
Supervisors approved going in with Ellwood City, Perry, Pulaski and Neshannock townships to buy a $69,950 road milling machine from Asphalt Zipper, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Mahoning's share will be $3,186 per year for three years if a state grant is received as expected.
Supervisors also agreed to donate unused police items such as handcuffs and old police uniform slacks to police from the area hit by Hurricane Katrina. Morris said Pulaski Township also will be sending some items.