Published Thursday, October 3, 2002
resistance
in other places
Herald Staff Writer
Wheatland Mayor Tom Stanton wouldn't go so far as to say that Wheatland should pull out of the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee.
"It's up to them," he said of council.
But Stanton said he is having a hard time figuring out how the communities could ever join.
Wheatland, Farrell, Sharon, Sharpsville and Hermitage are studying whether to merge or consolidate.
At Stanton's urging, Wheatland council agreed Wednesday to meet with its representatives on the committee at council's Nov. 4 work session and discuss pulling out.
Stanton noted the committee's sewer subcommittee has not been able to find funding for a study on consolidating the communities' sewer systems.
He also said the area police and fire departments are "bound and determined not to go in."
The fire subcommittee recommended that the fire departments that serve the communities remain in place. The subcommittee said the firefighters could not agree on how a consolidated department should be structured.
Stanton also referred to Sharon council's recent decision not to partake in a study on combining the city police department with Southwest Mercer County Regional's, of which Wheatland is a member.
With such resistance, it seems a waste of time for Wheatland to continue with the study, Stanton said.
"That's why we were in, for shared services," said Councilwoman Lorraine Brown.
"This incident in Sharon really put a damper on it," said council President David Cusick.
The study has run hot and cold and seems to have gone back to cold, he said.
"There's not much enthusiasm for it in Wheatland," Cusick said.
The committee has not met since July, the same month when Hermitage residents presented petitions with 700 signatures asking city commissioners to pull out.
Hermitage commissioners decided to stay in the study.