Brownsville to use officer who hasn’t worked in 15 years
BROWNSVILLE – A man who has not actively worked as a police officer in more than 15 years was added back to the roster of part-time officers for Brownsville Borough Tuesday. Council voted to reinstate James Lawver to the schedule for part-time officers, noting that he had never resigned nor been terminated, simply not scheduled due to conflicts with his other employment. James Lawver is the brother of council president Jack Lawver, who abstained from the vote.
Jack Lawver said he just recently became aware of his brother’s intentions to rejoin the force as an active member. Jack Lawver said his brother passed the civil service test in 1984 and worked for the Brownsville Police Department for four or five years.
Councilman Edward “Tuck” Rohrer made the motion to reinstate James Lawver, noting there is no statute of limitations on passing the civil service exam. Rohrer said he checked on it and once an officer has passed the test, retesting is not necessary. Councilman Robert Pritts, who chairs the police committee, said he was not notified of James Lawver’s intent to return to the force.
In another police-related matter, council granted a six-month unpaid leave of absence to full-time police officer Christopher Newman so he can attend the Pennsylvania State Police Academy.
“I’m pretty proud Brownsville has an officer of that caliber working for us,” Pritts said.
Council also accepted a bid of $333 for the old police car. The bid by Robert Staley of Coal Center was the only bid received. All police equipment and markings will be removed from the vehicle before it is released to Staley.
Council is opposing a 95-cent administrative fee added to the fourth-quarter bill sent out by Onyx, the borough’s garbage hauler.
According to information with the bills, the fee can be avoided by paying future bills online. Jack Lawver pointed out that the fee is not part of the current contract between the borough and Onyx.
“I think council needs to formally go on record and send them a letter informing them that you are not going to go along with it,” solicitor Melinda Dellarose recommended to council.
Councilmen Martin Redigan and Rohrer provided an update on Project BRIGHT Tomorrow, noting that the initial phase of the project is taking longer than anticipated. Redigan said the downtown code enforcement officer is still categorizing all of the buildings in the targeted area and is sending out letters requesting access to the interiors for inspections.
Once the inspections are completed, the buildings that present the greatest safety hazard will be given top priority in the enforcement process.
Rohrer said a state code enforcement officer met with the BRIGHT committee to bring them up to date on code enforcement techniques that could help speed up the process.
Jack Lawver said there are concerns regarding the budget for code enforcement in the downtown area, since the early phases of the project are taking longer than anticipated. Lawver said the borough has not yet received an updated financial report from the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, which is carrying out the project and administering a state grant for the work.