Safety Concerns Worry West Kittanning Business Owner
By: Sarah Steighner
A local business owner’s concerns over what he believes to be a public safety issue is not a new topic to the West Kittanning Borough, yet the conversation continues.
Michael Kunselman is the local business owner of Illusions in West Kittanning. During last week’s Borough meeting, he brought up his concern to the Borough of local stocking or construction trucks blocking roadways and causing a public safety issue.
Specifically, Kunselman takes concern with car-carrier trucks blocking the turning lane near the Troy Allen car dealership in West Kittanning located along Business Route 422.
“I’ve been complaining for over three or four years about this. I keep bringing up that this is about public safety. It’s not picking on a business.
No one does anything or says anything until a tragedy happens,” Kunselman said.
An employee of Troy-Allen who did not want to be identified said that they do not see this as much of a public concern, especially since Borough officials specifically gave them permission to unload their trucks in the center lane.
“The Borough had told us that’s where the trucks should unload and park. That’s what we were told after the curbs were put in, so that’s what we do.”
Along with bringing this alleged issue to Borough council members on-and-off during the past three years, Kunselman has contacted Pennsylvania State Police. Kunselman said troopers advised him to approach Borough Council and get an ordinance created that would disallow unloading of commercial vehicles on the state highway.
“The state police told me they (the West Kittanning Borough) could put an ordinance, and I brought that up to them on different occasions,” Kunselman said.
When this issue was brought up at the Council meeting, Council President Bob Venesky explained that their position on not issuing an ordinance had to deal with state law allowing commercial trucks to unload in such locations, as well as keeping local business’ best interest in mind.
“If we enact an ordinance that says no commercial vehicles are allowed to unload on public property, how many businesses is that going to affect in the municipality? Because there are some of them that don’t have a place to pull over and unload. “We enact an ordinance, it’s going to affect many, many other businesses,” Venesky said.
During the meeting, Kunselman responded to this justification by asking for specific business’ that this would somehow affect.
“It’s amazing how this Council overlooks how a car-carrier can be parked and unloaded along a state highway, when they could enact an ordinance that could stop it,” Kunselman said.
Despite this explanation, Kunselman still believes this issue is of utmost importance for public safety, and that the power to solve it lies within the West Kittanning Borough Council.
West Kittanning | jweaver June 11, 2015
12 Comments
Other Links to this Post
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
By Snarf, June 11, 2015 @ 9:06 AM
But if the truck had to unload a load of marital aids (I know if I use the word I want to use I’ll get booted) for his business, I’m sure he would have no problem with it. I honestly don’t see that the problem is here.
By heardenoughalready, June 11, 2015 @ 4:27 PM
I guess if the pornography business was booming and he had to have his material delivered by a semi he would think different. Where would you think the truck could be unloaded? How in the world did we ever survive without the turning lane? The introduction of this turning lane really hampered Troy Alan. It was not their fault nor their doing. Public safety concern my left eye! I think that some people just like seeing their name in print. Folks better really think twice when elections arrive. Sometimes it is better to have someone constantly complaining rather than making laws.
By wonderwhy, June 11, 2015 @ 9:13 PM
How ironic that the day this story is published a tractor trailor came down the hill and crashed in to the car carrier unloading cars for Troy Allen. Maybe they can provide room to unload since they tore down that old Bandi building!
By DontGiveArip, June 11, 2015 @ 10:14 PM
Snarf and heardenoughalready have a problem with sex. Otherwise they wouldn’t even bring up the type of business. It has nuthin to do with the type of business. They culd be sellin widgits. Don’t matter wat they sellin. It matters that it is a safety problem. I don’t blame troy allen for nothing. I blame the counsel for allowin this stuff to continue. If it was happening in front of their house they would be doin sumthing about it. But just bc it is happening in front of sum1 they don’t like then they ignore the problem. Just like they ignore the problem of the big sign shining too bright for those poor ppl. Counsel ppl just ignore it cuz it don’t hurt them. They need to do sumthin rather than business just usual unless it bothers them.
By sickofpayingforit, June 12, 2015 @ 12:20 AM
I wasn’t aware of this situation but an auto loader in the middle of a public road loading/unloading, sounds pretty dangerous to me.
By bison4ever, June 12, 2015 @ 12:58 AM
Like wonderwhy, I, too, thought how ironic that the day this article came out that there would be a traffic problem/back up due to a car carrier trying to unload cars. I didn’t see an accident, but I did see (and had to detour around) the car carrier bottomed out while it looked like trying to back into the care dealer and blocking both lanes for an extended period of time. I’m sure most of us have passed a carrier trying to unload in that center lane. I agree with Kunselman (no matter what his business is or whether I agree with it). It’s dangerous plain and simple.
By tiredoftheBS, June 12, 2015 @ 1:14 AM
wonderwhy - I think if you check your information closer this was not an accident involving a tractor trailer hitting the car hauler. The car hauler went to make the turn into troy allen and bottomed out. That’s what tied up traffic for at least an hour, causing the issue and all 3 lanes being blocked. One has to wonder if he was attempting to turn into the dealership so he was not unloading in the middle lane. People better watch what they ask for. My theory if you can’t see a large car hauler sitting on the roadway and not hit it, you shouldn’t be driving. Cause this yesterday worked out SO much better!!
By Molina, June 12, 2015 @ 8:51 AM
The car carrier that was unloading last night was trying to back into the dealership and the trailer bottomed out on the crown of the road and blocked all of the lanes and stopped traffic in both directions. The irony is that it wouldn’t have happened if they had been unloading in the center turn lane……
By Just sayin, June 12, 2015 @ 9:12 AM
I’m no prude, but I do have a problem with a daycare center being close to a sex shop. (This is similar to Victoria Secret being near the kiddie car machines and play area at Pittsburgh Mills. I believe they did move the area a little bit away since there were complaints.) Also, Illusions is one of the first businesses one sees as she/he enters West Kittanning from that end. Lovely.
Mr. Kunselman would do better business if he moved to some obscure place where some customers could park without feeling the whole town is seeing their cars there. Not everyone wants to admit they need marital aids. I personally don’t want to go where a business promotes men and women as sex objects.
To DontGiveArip: if you want to be taken seriously, I advise you to spell correctly (we all make mistakes, but you are clearly writing a text-type piece here) and watch your grammar.
By Just sayin, June 12, 2015 @ 9:27 AM
DontGiveArip: I do agree that the LARGE LED billboard is way too bright. Can’t these types of billboards be seen from space?!
Some West Kittanning people are losing sleep over this light. You’re not even supposed to have a tiny light on from any electronic device in order to get a restful and a deep sleep.
Once I thought a hilltop house in Ford City was on fire from the brightness of one of those billboards.
IN-YOUR-FACE COMMERCIALISM!!
By sickofpayingforit, June 12, 2015 @ 11:44 PM
Illusions is a private sector business. It is legal. Despite 7 years of concentrated efforts, we are still a nation of capitalism. I dont see the issue with that business being ANYWHERE. If nobody wanted it, capitalism would speak and unless there was a government bailout, it would go away. Also, by the logic set forth, we should be concerned about Klings, and all the other pharmacies. They too sell marital aids…….
The report of the bible thumping is becoming harder to hear with with whistle of the years passing by. This is 2015, not 1957.
By tiredoftheBS, June 13, 2015 @ 7:35 PM
Focus people……. this article has nothing to do with the business (which has a right to be there) or the sign. GEEZ!!!!