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September 13, 2016

Last Nights Council Agenda Meeting Brief

Yesterday held the agenda meeting for the month, the following was discussed and will be voted on at the next meeting on Monday the 19th: Christopher Brant asked council for approval on his proposed community project for Boy Scouts, (read the full story here). A visitor asked council about a previous 90 minute parking proposal due claims of students taking up parking spaces in front of homes, that had yet to be resolved. Connie MacDonald, the council president, said it will be discussed in the meeting but it won’t be voted on until next week. Another visitor expressed his concerns…

September 9, 2016

Ellwood City Police Not Securing Home Game Tonight

It was mentioned in a previous post that Ellwood City School District is forced to hire private security instead of having Ellwood City Police securing the home games like they have been doing for years. The issue stems from the borough being unable to comply with the schools security needs at this time, mainly due to an ongoing uncertainty regarding how many officers they would need to hire per game. At the school board meeting last night, the school board president, Renne Pitrelli, stated that the issue between the school and borough has not yet resolved and the school has…

September 9, 2016

Gibbons receives FARMER endorsement

Ellwood City, PA – Farmers Allied for Responsive More Effective Government (FARMER) has endorsed State Representative Jaret Gibbons for re-election in the 10th Legislative District. FARMER is the Political Action Committee of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the largest organization representing the interests of farmers across Pennsylvania. Rep. Gibbons was recognized by FARMER as a “Supporter of Agriculture” for his commitment to promoting farming and strong voting record on agricultural issues. “I am honored to receive the support of FARMER and the local farming community. I have always been an advocate for our local farm families and am proud to have…

September 8, 2016

Veterans’ specialists to visit Gibbons’ office next week

ELLWOOD CITY, Sept. 7 – To assist veterans and their families, state Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence, today announced he will host veterans’ specialists in his Ellwood City office. Gibbons said Stephanie Bengoa and Ryan Paglia will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14 at his Ellwood City office, located at 438 Line Ave., to lend help to veterans and their families. Bengoa of the American Legion Veterans Assistance Program will be in Gibbons’ office to assist veterans with understanding what benefits they have earned, filing appeals to existing claims, enrolling in the Department of Veterans Affairs…

September 8, 2016

Gibbons announces state loan for New Brighton company

HARRISBURG, Sept. 7 – State Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence, today announced the Standard Horse Nail Company of New Brighton was awarded a $123,000 loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority. The company, one of the largest domestic producers of machine keys, woodruff keys, taper pins, and other precision fasteners, received a 15-year loan at 3 percent interest to assist with the renovation of 25,000-square-feet of currently unused space in its facility. “Manufacturing is a major component of our local economy and this loan will ensure that a growing company remains and expands here in Beaver County,” Gibbons said. “I’m glad…

September 7, 2016

Hot weather in August leads to spike in utility usage

The borough manager, Bob Villella wanted to share the following information with the community about August electric usage: August 2016 was the second hottest month of August since 1947.  The 76.0 degree average temperature was exceeded only by August 1995. The hot and humid weather lead to another record usage by the Borough for 2016.  Ellwood City’s customers as a whole used 5,962,000 kWh in August.  This is the highest amount of electricity by Ellwood City since July of 2013. The Borough’s hourly peak usage of 12,773 kW occurred on August 12 at 5 pm.  This peak is higher than…

September 7, 2016

Wayne Township Monthly Board Meeting

The Wayne Township Supervisors, 1418 Wampum Road, Ellwood City, PA 16117, held its monthly Supervisor Board Meeting, Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Under the direction of William Hepler, Supervisor, the meeting opened with the ‘”Pledge of Allegiance” and a “Moment of Silence”.  Other officers in attendance were Supervisors: Chairman, Charles Hutchison & Vice Chairman, Rick Weingartner; Township Solicitor, Ryan Long.  Secretary/Treasurer, Shari D. Baney. Motion was made by Weingartner to Approve the July, 2016 Minutes. 2nd by Hepler. All in favor. Public Input:  Tootie Welsh – Repeating a question to Chairman Hutchison regarding Melinda Cappello as Township Manager,…

August 25, 2016

Gibbons thanks residents for participating in Tele-Town Hall

HARRISBURG, Aug. 24 – State Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence, today said his Tele-Town Hall meeting held Tuesday night showed that 10th Legislative District constituents’ top three concerns are job creation, property tax reduction and health care. Gibbons said the input he received will be invaluable when he returns to Harrisburg to further work on issues that matter to his constituents “I am pleased that hundreds of constituents participated in the discussion,” Gibbons said. “It’s so much more convenient for constituents to participate from their homes and, at the same time, for me to reach thousands of people in my district.”…

August 24, 2016

Electric Comparison: July 2015 vs. July 2016

Bob Villella, the borough manager, wanted the following message forwarded to the residents of Ellwood: “The following information is being provided to inform Ellwood City Electric customers to a comparison of Electric Sold and Purchase Power Adjustment (PPA) or Rate Adjustment in July of 2015 with July of 2016. The Rate Adjustment for July of 2016 (the August bills due in September) will be $0.0135 per kwh. This amount will be added to the electric bill of each user, Residential, Commercial and Industrial. In July of 2015, the Rate Adjustment was $0.0247 per kwh. The reduction in 2016 is equal…

August 23, 2016

Community Members Concerned About Electric Bills if Hospital Closes

Updated 8/23/16 at 2:16pm. In order to keep its doors open, Ellwood City Hospital is still in search of a partnership. This alone is a concerning topic considering that it’s the closest hospital for Ellwood and surrounding area residents, however, many residents are equally concerned that if the hospital closes they may see an even greater hike in their personal electric bills. The hospital generates a lot of revenue for the borough, if it is to close, it will no longer provide a large portion of the electric revenue. For community members, the impact this will have on the already…