By Carol Ann Gregg

Allied News Staff Writer

Local citizens continued to dog Slippery Rock Borough Council at its Jan. 19 meeting about not having locally-provided 24/7 police service.

“We know what we need to do to have 24/7 service. We also know what it will cost,” said Dave Miller, president of council.

Itzi Meztli, borough resident and English professor at Slippery Rock University, invited Bill Painter – a former student and the president of Evans City Council – to describe how his municipality can provide 24/7 local coverage in their borough for less money than Slippery Rock is spending now for police service.

Painter said that Evans City has only two full-time officers, one being the chief and the other working the night shift. The rest of the force includes five part-time officers. Several of the part-time people serve 28 to 30 hours per week. He pointed out, however, that the chief didn’t need benefits.

Borough council took the opportunity to ask Painter questions and said that they might invite him to return in the future to talk about police service in more detail.

In other business: Jesse Hines, code enforcement officer, presented an example sticker that the borough could sell to be affixed to containers used for recycling pick-up. In the past, the borough provided recycling bins to residents, but has since ran out. Hines inquired about getting more bins and learned that the state Department of Environmental Protection was no longer contributing toward their purchase, which limited the borough’s options.

The white stickers are 6 inches square, with blue lettering and featuring the recycling symbol. He suggested they be sold in sets of three for $3 so that refuse collectors will be able to easily distinguish recycling bins from regular trash bins.

To further distinguish trash from recyclables, a spokeswoman for Tri-County Industries – the borough’s contracted trash and recycling hauler – explained that 68-gallon trash carts are available to borough residents for their regular garbage. These have been a part of the contract for a long time, she said.

To obtain one, residents may call Tri-County at 724-748-4705 and ask about having one delivered to their home. The resident will receive some paperwork in the mail, which they will be asked to fill out and sign. After Tri-County receives the paperwork, a cart will be delivered to the residence. The wheels on the cart and the flip-top lid make the trash carts appealing to residents. There is no additional charge to residents for these because they don’t require any change in service, the spokeswoman said.

Hines reported that the Multi-Municipal Parks and Recreation Plan is nearly ready for adoption. He said the committee hopes that the municipalities will be able to approve the plan by resolution at their February meetings. The plan is currently being reviewed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and a safety study is now being completed.

Published January 27, 2010 in Allied News. Pick up a copy at 201A Erie St., Grove City.