If You Ask Me/By Martha Knight

“Demolition of the old Abbott Dairy building should begin within the next two weeks, Port Allegany Borough Council learned at its Monday evening meeting.”

That’s what it said in the June 9, 1993 issue of an area daily.

Hm. So Abbott Dairy has been gone 20 years! Time flies. Things change. And some don’t change much.

“Council member James Healy told the group that asbestos removal is almost completed and the large brick structure is slated to be turned over to the demolition contractor on June 10.

“Once the Pearl Street site is cleared, the Port Allegany Area Economic Development Corp. intends to construct a building in hopes of attracting a light industry.”

Looks as if the building and the industry were lighter than they anticipated.

The news story continues: “Council is studying a plan to contract with surrounding Liberty Township to provide sanitary sewer service for more of its residents. Residents in the Brooklynside area already are served by the borough sewage system. The proposed contract would add residences of the Two Mile area and those along Route 6 East of the borough, as well as some individual homes, particularly on Katherine Extension.

“Under the proposal the township would construct sewer lines and lift stations needed in the Two Mile area. Formal action should come after the township’s engineers complete a feasibility study now in progress.”

I wonder what became of that feasibility study. Did the Katherine Street Extension folks ever get their sewer line? How about the residents on Route 6 east? The Two Mile area is still without municipal sewerage, isn’t it? Last I heard it, or at least some businesses and residents, would like to be added on.

There has been talk, off and on for years, of extending water and sewer lines in various directions, from the borough and into the township. Out Two Mile, up 155 North, out Route 6, down Route 155 South, up Lillibridge. Sooner or later that will come to pass.

Back in 1993, “Council briefly discussed, but took no action on, a complaint about a resident burning tree trimmings. Borough ordinance prohibits the burning of fallen leaves but makes no provision for other materials. It was pointed out that there is no need for burning since the borough will collect trimmings and dispose of them.”

Chief Larry Brundage of Star Hose once declared, at a council meeting, “If I am driving through town and I see smoke, I want there to be a fire.” He did not mean that he wanted to see more fires that required fire department action. He believed the borough needed a measure forbidding outdoor burning. Chopping down old evergreens and setting them on fire, disposing of refuse in a bonfire, and Marti’s burn barrel would all be prohibited. They could spark destructive fires. And besides, Chief Brundage did not want to have to wonder about them.

That made sense. So did the prohibition of fall leaf burning. As nostalgic as we get, remembering the smell of burning leaves, those leaf fires near the street caused visibility and air quality problems.

As for my neighbors grilling burgers, steaks and other wonderful smelling stuff where I have to smell it, making me hungry, well, there certainly should be a law against that.

“Police Chief Donald Carley said that police respond to complaints by talking to people doing offensive burning and ’90 percent of them’ voluntarily stop. It was also suggested that a resident who is bothered by a neighbor’s burning might speak directly to the neighbor about it.”

That’s a thought! But now, as then, it seems to be an approach seldom used, as many neighbor problems trigger calls to the police before any remonstrance by the aggrieved neighbor with the one with the annoying dog or fire or sound system.

“Hiring of part-time police officers was approved. Kyle Lindsay and Joseph Dzubak, both of whom worked previously as part-time officers, and Brian Gustafson of Bradford, will supplement the force of three full-time officers.”

A final paragraph mentions, “Chief Carley informed council that the police department’s annual bicycle education program for elementary students will be held from 9 a.m. to noon June 14 at the Seneca Highlands Vocational Technical School.”

Bicycle safety training is an excellent idea. With kids on my street again, there are some little cyclists out there at times. The street receives little traffic of the other kind, but there is some, so kids playing in the street, and their other family members, need to keep a sharp lookout for motor vehicles.

On North Main/Route 6/155 bicyclists have a hard way to go. They shouldn’t be on the sidewalk. When a cyclist comes up silently behind a pedestrian, either the bicycle and rider can get dumped into the street or the pedestrian can be toppled.

Big trucks charging through town can blow a cyclist over or crowd him or her. It’s probably better for bicycles to travel along the side streets when possible, and to walk their bikes along Main.