Forest Hills Council Amends Ordinance to Prohibit Firearms in Borough Parks

At the regular council meeting Wednesday, a motion was made and approved unanimously to amend the Parks and Recreation ordinance prohibiting firearms in borough parks. A new line will be added to Section 16-104 of Chapter 16 prohibiting the unlawful possession, use, carry, or discharge of firearms.

Also at the meeting, council unanimously passed a motion to amend the borough’s trash storage and placement ordinance. The new language includes that garbage stored in a disposable plastic bag can be placed at curbside no earlier than 6 a.m. on the day of pickup.

Municipal waste and garbage in disposable plastic bags that are placed in reusable approved storage containers may be placed at curbside no earlier than 6 p.m. on the day prior to collection. Discussion among council included that “approved containers” must have properly fitting lids to keep out animals.

“Anything we can do to reduce wild animals in our community is a good thing,” said Councilman Bill Tomasic.

Council President Frank Porco and Police Chief Charles Williams discussed the upcoming National Night Out on August 7 where police, fire, and EMS members will be greeting neighbors gathering in their yards and porches throughout the community.

Other decisions and highlights of the meeting included:

• A resolution was approved to endorse the submission of a Community Development Block Grant application to create an ADA compliant restroom in the fire department building.

• The Chief of Police was authorized to purchase a new 2013 Ford Interceptor utility vehicle for a maximum cost of $38,751 to replace police car number 2.

• The sale of several pieces of borough equipment was authorized and includes a Ford dump truck, snow plow, and surplus salt spreader.

• Florence Biscaras was appointed to the Recreation Board with a term expiring on February 28, 2014.

• It was reported that the Goodwill e-waste collection in June yielded over 10,000 pounds of unwanted electronics to be refurbished or recycled.

• Volunteers are still needed for the 2019 Centennial Committee and interested parties should contact the borough office.

The next regular council meeting will be held August 15 at 7 pm.