Safety Improvements Decided Near Local School

 

by Jonathan Weaver

Students and teachers that will be walking to class in Manor Township this Summer will have two more reasons to breathe a little easier.

Manor Township supervisors last night approved to install a street light at the corner of Armstrong Street and Center Avenue (near the NexTier Adult Learning Center at Lenape Tech and the Butler County Community College at Armstrong satellite campus).

Supervisor Don Palmer and potentially one other local resident will incur a monthly street light tax for living within 250 feet of the proposed street light.

“If it’s dark, who knows? We live in a time that you don’t know (what could happen),” Palmer said. “So, by adding a light there, it increases safety. That’s what we’re all about.”

Township Secretary Jill Davis said residents who incur such a tax regularly pay about $25 per month.

A West Penn Power transformer is already at the intersection, so supervisors would only have to pay for electricity regularly.

Light-emitting diode lights would cost $200-$250 for the bracket.

Supervisor Bob Southworth advocated for the high pressure sodium light bulb to be installed in the pole to match other street lamps throughout the municipality.

“Why make one look different than the rest?” Southworth said.

Palmer and Supervisor Chair Paul Rearick agreed, and the street light purchase was approved unanimously.

Supervisor Palmer asked Davis to look into the costs after last month’s discussion regarding the new Town and Country Transit bus stop at the intersection. Palmer and Southworth agreed there are other areas in the township that need more lighting.

Police patrols have also increased in the Lenape Heights neighborhood.

Sgt. Terry Bish reported that of the department’s 74 incidents and a handful of warnings and citations issued during April, officers issued a single citation in the area and three warnings.

A resident of that area, Palmer said he has seen speeding and other traffic incidents at intersections near the Adult Learning Center.

“Since we’ve put the police department there and selected some focus areas, I think we’re seeing a reduction of that already just with their presence, Palmer said.

“The idea is not to give someone a ticket and take money out of their pocket – it’s to patrol the area and make it safe for everybody. There are a lot of people that walk up there, and when you have people running stop signs (or) speeding, it makes a dangerous situation for them.”

Lenape Tech students will work on the bus shelter as long as Manor Township provides the concrete. Southworth, also the township road foreman, will oversee students.