SHENANDOAH - With warm weather drawing more people outdoors, borough police will be spending more time in the community's parks, Mayor Michael J. Whitecavage said during Monday's meeting of the borough council.
"You will be seeing our police officers in our parks now that the summertime is here," Whitecavage said. "I'm asking the people to use some common sense or it will cost you dollars and cents. You cannot be in the park drinking beer or having your vehicles in the park. The rules will be strictly enforced. Curfew laws will be strictly enforced."
Whitecavage said he reminds everyone about the rules each year, and while some may not like it, the rules are the rules.
"Every year we go through this and every year we catch some people," the mayor said. "They don't like it but that's the way it is. The parks are off-limits to those kind of activities. The parks are there for our recreational use and we need to keep them as nice as we can."
Councilman Paul Holland said there were complaints about all-terrain vehicles in Girard Park during the weekend, to which Whitecavage said he also received the complaints.
"I'm going to be meeting with the chief and ranking officers for them to cover that with the part-timers," Whitecavage said.
Concerning another matter, Whitecavage said he met with the council's Law and Order Committee to expand the roster of available part-time police officers.
"Right now we have seven part-timers. More is better when it comes to part-timers because some of them work in other police departments," he said. "Summertime is here and we know we need more police officers out at certain times and we need to have a bigger pool."
Whitecavage said he will distribute a list of possible candidates to borough council members for their review.
The committee will also consider two options in replacing an aging police vehicle with high mileage. Councilman John Szczyglak, committee chairman, said one option is to purchase a new vehicle, with the second option being purchasing two refurbished vehicles - one a four-wheel drive - to be able to have an extra patrol vehicle.
"We're only in the preliminary stages. We want to check on warranties, mileage and other things," Szczyglak said.
Councilman Robert Kulpowicz said a private company will visit the borough to review the street lights and provide information on costs to upgrade them or have the borough purchase the lights from PPL Electrical Utilities in order to save money.
"There is no cost or obligation for us at this time. They get back to us when they complete their findings," Kulpowicz said.
The council approved the low bid of $65,818 from Schuylkill Paving Inc. for this year's road program. Borough Manager Joseph L. Palubinsky said the work will begin soon and is expected to be completed by May 31.
At the beginning of the meeting, council President Leo Pietkiewicz called for a moment of silence for the four victims who lost their lives in the March 27 fire on East Coal Street.
"To all volunteers in the fire department and all who were involved in the tragedy, our heartfelt thanks for their time and effort and dedication," said Pietkiewicz. "It's amazing how the people of this borough step to help others."