Oct 9, 2002 By Jenny Susa 4 min read

WEST BROWNSVILLE – While borough council members are seeing some issues of safety and sanitation in the borough resolved, others apparently are still in need of attention. At their meeting last month, the council reported that they had received correspondence from Madison Avenue residents who complained of a rat problem originating from an abandoned store across from their homes.

William Little, the owner of the store property, appeared before the board Tuesday to offer proof that the allegations were false.

“I have made phone calls to the borough to prove that there were no rats there, but to no avail,” said Little. “There is nothing there to attract rats. There is nothing for them to eat, and there is no evidence that there are any there. I have not found them anywhere.”

Although he received citations for other conditions on that property, Little said he had taken care of everything as he was asked.

“I’m on the property every week taking care of it,” he said.

He said he received a phone call from the police saying that he was not cited for rats on his property because there was no evidence that any were there.

“He also called my house,” said Mayor Martin Brockman. “I told him to take pictures of the inside of the building because nobody really knows what it looks like.”

Little brought those photos to the meeting to present them to the board. He said the photos should prove that the allegations were frivolous, as there is nothing in the building “except the dust on the floor.”

Council President Pat Maxon said she understood Little’s concern, but explained that the council has no control over comments made by citizens.

“When anyone has a concern, we must examine the situation,” said Maxon, adding that the issue was really between him and the residents across from the store.

Also at the last council meeting, Rose Wozinak said she had a problem at her home with sewage and storm water backup. At the meeting Tuesday, she told council the problem still occurred the last time it rained.

Three homes in her area also are affected by the problem.

Councilman Dan Kendall addressed the issue, saying that something must be catching somewhere in the pipes to cause the backup.

“I would like to get Robinson Pipe Cleaners out here to see if they can clean out the sewers,” said Kendall. “There is a problem causing the sewer backup in these three houses, and we need to find out what it is.”

In other matters, Bill Maser and Bill Kovach, representing PennDOT, told council about work they are doing in the borough, including addressing drainage problems in the area and working on a bridge.

The mayor questioned them about that project.

“We closed the playground here three years ago so that you could finish work on the bridge,” said Brockman.

He wondered if PennDOT was making any progress in that area.

“We are beginning cleanup work,” said Maser. “We took down cables and scaffolding, and debris will be cleaned up and the grass will be cut.”

Maxon asked if PennDOT could trim trees and improve the visibility on Wilson Road where it joins Route 88.

“There is a lot of traffic coming from Cal U out there, and you can hardly get out of there because it is so hard to see,” Maxon said.

Kovach said that he was told that “there was no line of sight problem.” They also said they studied the number of accidents that occurred, and there were very few. The ones that happened, he reported, were not due to the lack of visibility.

“I don’t know much about it because that is not my area of expertise,” said Kovach. “I’m just reporting what I was told.” He suggested that council contact PennDOT’s safety engineer.

Councilman Larry Beck said he hoped the issue could be resolved before an accident occurred.

“I think it’s ridiculous if it’s going to take an accident before we can get something done. Let’s avoid the accident,” said Beck.