Signs posted in response to Kennedy Township’s decision to shop property it owns adjacent to Fairhaven Park have caught the attention of township officials.
And not in a good way.
Officials on Tuesday posted an “important message” on the township’s website under the heading of “Attention Residents,” the first line of which notes that in Pennsylvania “posting personal or political signs on public utility poles (such as those owned by Duquesne Light) is illegal and considered a summary offense.”
Township Manager Gregory Clarke responded “yes and no” via email when asked if the website posting was in direct response to the signs that have popped up in various township locations since the news broke about the township accepting bids for a 19.5-acre parcel of land that it owns next to Fairhaven Park.
Clarke said people have been placing signs on utility poles for many years, whether they’re for political campaigns, personal or business reasons or for lost pets. He said he knows people on social media will say the township’s recent web posting is in response to the property at Fairhaven. But that’s not the case, he said.
“It is illegal,” he wrote.
Clarke couldn’t say how many signs related to the township property sale issue have been posted but added that even one is too many. He said road department crew members must devote time to taking down the signs – time that could be used for more important work.
Clarke said Monday night that the township would attempt to find those responsible and would even use video to do so.
The township’s decision to accept bids on the property, which would be used to build at least 32 single-family homes, according to a public notice posted on May 16, has sparked much online discussion among local residents. Many of them want to see the property remain undeveloped and perhaps used to expand Fairhaven Park.
An online petition posted on Change.org under the heading of “Stop the sale of wooded property adjacent to the Fairhaven Park” had 872 verified signatures as of Tuesday evening. A Kennedy Township Parks and Recreation Board Facebook page, which contains a link to the Change.org petition, has added nearly 100 new members in a little over a week.
According to a legal ad that was published on the Pittsburgh Pennysaver.com website on May 16, the township Board of Commissioners will receive sealed bids until noon Monday, June 8, for the purchase of the property. The bids are scheduled to be opened at 2 p.m. that day.
Documents obtained by the Gazette indicate that the township acquired the property from the county and what was then the township school district for a fee of $1 on July 3, 1951. Clarke said last month there is no documentation that indicated the property must be used for a certain purpose. But a document that appears to be a deed indicates that the property is to be used for township park purposes and that any future sale of the land would need to be approved by the county and the township school district.
The Pennysaver.com notice describes the property as “prime residential development opportunity situated for R-1 development in the heart of Kennedy Township. This expansive vacant property offers a rare combination of natural beauty and suburban convenience.”
The notice also refers to the 20+/- acres as “undeveloped surplus land within a highly sought after 1st Class Township immediately adjacent to Fairhaven Park.”
According to the Pennysaver.com ad, the minimum acceptable bid amount is $750,000 for the purchase of the property for the development of single-family homes with a minimum of 32 lots. The notice states that if more than 32 lots are feasible then the buyer would need to pay the township an additional $25,000 per each additional single-family residential lot.
The Allegheny County online Real Estate Portal states the county assessed total value of the property is $695,800. It lists the lot size as 19.5 acres.
Clarke said Monday night there is no guarantee the township will sell the property, but that it wanted to gauge interest in the land, and that’s why the process of accepting bids moved forward.
The Board of Commissioners is next scheduled to meet June 11, three days after the bid opening.
People interested in speaking at the June 11 meeting must register in advance using this form.
The information on posting signs on public utility poles that was added to the township website included a “legal and safety breakdown” as well as “generalized, content-neutral rules” the township established through its zoning and nuisance ordinances to control sign placements.
The legal and safety breakdown notes that driving nails, tacks or other hard substances into utility poles is prohibited under the state’s criminal code. “Even taping or typing signs is prohibited by utility companies for local ordinances,” the township’s information page notes.
The page also notes that township ordinance No. 548 states that political signs are strictly prohibited from being placed in township parks and that signs cannot be attached to or deface any public structures, benches or fences.
The web page ends by saying that anyone planning to put up a temporary sign should reach out directly to the township zoning officer to confirm the maximum allowable square footage and setback requirements for one’s specific street.
This is a once in a lifetime generational opportunity for an expansion of Fairhaven Park. Add this to the master park plan not more houses. Once the property is gone, we’ll never get the opportunity again.