Organization offers to help install bat houses in Dawson
DAWSON – An Allegheny County organization has offered to help the borough raise funds to build and install bat houses in town. Council President Patty Lint said the Sierra Club is interested in bat conservation and has offered their help.
“I heard from one of the members and he said that he and a couple of his friends in the club are willing to help,” said Lint. “We didn’t hear back from the Game Commission, so hopefully these guys will know what to do.”
Last month, Lint said she and several other residents had bats in their homes. Lint said she came to find out that bat conservationists don’t want to do anything about them until the end of the month when the bat babies can fly on their own.
Lint also reminded residents to board up the holes where the bats are coming into their homes but said they shouldn’t do it until the end of the month.
Council agreed to allow the Sierra Club to build the bat houses and to install them down by the Youghiogheny River.
In other matters, council learned that the Yough Sanitary Authority’s $7.4 million sanitary sewer project could go out for bid by the end of the month. Authority member Emerson Long said a pre-bid meeting would be held Aug. 15 and all bids would have to be handed in to the authority by Aug. 30.
Long additionally said that bids would be opened and Widmer Engineering, Inc. of Connellsville would make a recommendation at the authority’s Sept. 7 board meeting.
Long said although regular monthly board meetings are held the first Monday of the month, September’s meeting had to be changed because of the Labor Day holiday.
In other unrelated business, council:
– Learned that code enforcement officer Mike Garlowich issued nine citations to several people over the last month. Mayor Barbara Wilhelm said several people were fined $50 each for dog violations.
She also said, however, that the people who were fined didn’t show up for their hearings before Magisterial District Judge Michael Rubish of Perryopolis. Wilhelm also told council that several signs were vandalized on North Dawson Hill.
– Agreed to purchase a 2006 Ford F250 three-quarter ton maintenance truck at a cost of $19,000. Councilman John Nudo said the selling price of the truck is $27,000.
Council additionally agreed to take the money for the truck out of the general fund. Nudo said the heavy-duty truck will be purchased from Fleet of Manheim and will be equipped with reinforced suspension.
– Learned from Emergency Management official Jim Rearick that the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency would hold four training classes. Rearick suggested that council members sign up for the classes that begin on Sept. 28.
The classes are national Standardized WMD Awareness Training, Sept. 28; NIMS Introduction, Oct. 12; Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings, Oct. 19; and METH Lab Response, Nov. 9.
All four classes will be held at the Fayette County EMA HAZMAT Annex at the Connellsville Airport.
Additional information on the classes can be obtained by calling the EMA office at 724-430-1277 or by going to begin sdolan@fcema.org sdolan@fcema.org end
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