On Monday evening, Commissioners will be talking about the birds and the bees, no cats. On the Commission Discussion Session Agenda, Item Number 6 is Animal regulations - bees and chickens.
Video: Nearly 100 sick cats removed from Mt. Lebanon home
PITTSBURGH —
Nearly 100 cats were taken from a Mt. Lebanon home on Friday.
Many of the cats removed from the home on Pennsylvania Boulevard were very sick and had to be euthanized.
“We heard there was a tenant evicted and left behind 70-100 cats,” said a neighbor.
The landlord told Channel 11’s Cara Sapida that he tried to get help but in Mt. Lebanon, there are no laws against hoarding cats.
“In Mt. Lebanon, we don’t have an ordinance about cats and the number of cats you can have in a residence and cats roaming freely in the neighborhood,” said Aaron Luth of the Mt. Lebanon police department.
The landlord paid an outside company to remove the cats.
Sapida was told only two of the cats they removed were healthy. Some cats were missing eyes and covered in fleas.
There were no litter boxes inside the home, Sapida reported.
Neighbors want the evicted tenant to be charged.
The healthy cats were taken to Animal Friends.
Update August 28, 2014 8:01 AM Deaths of cats prompt review in Mt. Lebanon
33 comments:
Maybe we need to do an aerial survey to track the feral cat population?
We could hire some sharpshooters to put them down. I don't want any feral cats eating my Gladioluses or jumping out and hitting my Mercedes.
We could even donate the meat to the poor hungry people of Dormont and Castle Shannon. I think they'd eat that stuff.
This is Brumfield's Ward, right?
Who called the AC Health Department? This situation violates multiple county health codes and
Mt Lebanon is required to abide by the ACHD rules/standards/policies, and may intervene on their behalf as long as they are not interfering with county work.
Here is one applicable policy:
No person shall maintain domestic animals so as to create a nuisance by reason of animal waste, bedding, food, pest vectors or odors. Any person who maintains domestic animals shall clean up and properly dispose of all animal waste generated so that such waste does not create a nuisance by reason of odors or pest vector attraction. The Director may specify a schedule of maintenance.
Don't you also wonder what Mt Lebanon did about the slumlord? How did s/he evict someone and then leave the place in that condition? What else was living there with the cats?
There is definitely more to this story, and frankly, it's unbelievable that this happened in the middle of Mt Lebanon.
Yes, 10:46 PM, this is Dave Brumfield's ward. Neighbors have been dealing with this for a long time. Where's Brumfield? MIA.
Elaine
We do have animal control here in ML. It is disconcerting that the AC Health Department was not called!
Coincidently, Dave Brumfield will be missing Monday's chickens and bees discussion.
Elaine
What is #2 for? Isn't that money gone now to pay for the turfing of the Park's fields? Also is the rumor that the amount needed is closer to 2 million than 800,000 true? Maybe Brumfield will start a new board that will license dogs, cats, chickens and bees. Each dog license would cost $200 a year. Cats $100. Chickens $75 plus $10 per egg. Bees $10 each. Think of all the MONEY they can get for their indoor field!!! I suggest Dave attach little license on each bee!
Keep an ear out for the future PAYT discussion and the update on the air rights development at the T station.
You know-- the Transit Oriented Development project.
That one where the commissioners haven't discussed the target demographic for townhouses and apartments, but are ready and willing to spend (float another bond) millions of dollars building housing for.
There are unassigned funds still waiting to be spent for 2013. As of December 31, 2013, the unassigned fund balance over the 10% threshold totaled $606,992. The first chunk of change for the fields came out of 2012. On July 8, our greedy commissioners votes to spend $162,600 for the remaining balance of the toxic turf project. That leaves $444,392 for projects such as Kristen's deer culling. Dave, who said that he would never vote for deer culling unless the deer can use weapons too, is leaning toward culling now. He is pretty cranky over the turf situation, so I guess it is called retaliation. There is no money for correcting the flooding on Cedar.
As far as the cost of the turf project, I have not heard any numbers, but if there is a problem with getting any permits, I would think that cost would become a factor. I asked a month ago if the cost would go up, and in the minutes, it shows that Gateway assured me that the cost is locked in. Minutes from the July 28, 2014 Commission Meeting
I bet Gateway is sorry that they contributed to the turf project. Somebody has to pay the contractor any additional costs, and according to Gateway, it isn't us.
Elaine
Just so we understand, construction can't begin until there are permits, right? How is that deadline looking? Will they still do construction in the fall or winter? And if they do, won't it cost more since they can only work during daylight hours and will be out there much longer?
Wow, the more you get into this project, the dumber it seems. Bet Franklin is really proud of himself.
Even though your comment is off topic, 9:31 AM, I will gladly address your questions. :)
Construction was to start on August 1. The permit was to be granted by June 29, 30 days after the permit application submission.
Dan Deiseroth said that they could start construction as late as September 15, and it would be fine. He had checked with the contractor. If/when the permit is granted, construction cannot begin the next day. I think the contractor would need to pull a crew off of other jobs (if they are busy) and I believe there is a waiting period after the permit is granted. Thirty days? According to the RTK, Gateway's timeline shows that construction will be 66 days. Do the [TERC] math, Gateway. I don't see it happening this year.
Elaine
Well, in Brumfield's defense, there's no way you could build a ball field around Pennsylvania Blvd with the T tracks running down the middle. So, of course, he wouldn't be interested in that area.
Now, Bendel may be interested because Pennsylvania Blvd is a brick street.
--Tom the Tinker
Dan Miller voted for HR529 of 2013-14 "National Feral Cat Day", in violation of state law.
Carnegie enacted an illegal law limiting the number of cats:
http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/article/pennsylvania-court-strikes-down-ordinance-limiting-number-of-cats-per-resid
How can we expect our Commission to enact legal animal laws if our State Legislature flagrantly violates state laws annually by resolution?
I never knew there was a "National Feral Cat Day," 9:55 AM. National Feral Cat Day 2014 is October 16.
Unless they can become team mascots, I don't see the commission doing anything about feral cats. Chickens? That is another story.
Elaine
Tom the Tinker:
https://www.soccerinstitute.com/site/mobile?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.soccerinstitute.com%2Fsoccer-field.html#2750
Sports fields werren't thetopic here, but as long as you brought it up— the land available along Pennsylvania is certain large enough to accommodate youth soccer. See the recommended field dimensions in the link above.
The space even with the tracks is ccertainly as big as the Rock Pile at the high school which was regularly used for youth sports.
Is it large enough to accommodate a regulation-sized field, probably not, but youth fields would take the stress off all the other fields and cleaning up those littered, weed infested lots behind the post office would enhance the community. Riders on the T would get a marketing tour about how Lebo invest in recreation.
But enough about Brumfield's done deal for turf.
Those Pennsylvania Avenue properties are certainly large enough for townhouse and condo development. Conveniently located within walking distance of mass transit, uptown, the library, shopping and fine "unique and not so unique" MTL dining. A millenials dreamspot!
So why isn't some private developer- developing these multi-housing magnets for the young families our commissioners covet?
My belief, if you're a developer why risk your money competing for tenants when the municipality will risk taxpayer dollars and let you in on the cheap on the TOD at the T station!
Tom the Tinker - Brumfield and Bendel should be interested in the cat house because they enacted ordinances last year resulting in Animal Control rounding up legit dog walkers. If they can come down hard on people walking their dogs for EXERCISE, you would think animal cruelty and health hazards would certainly be a higher priority, right?
11:31 are you kidding?
The people that live next to the cat house don't count - they don't have big money to contribute to turf and elections like people that complain about dogs crapping on their manicured lawns do.
12:29 pm. The commission rounded up dog walkers in parks... they weren't even going near manicured lawns.
There won't be turfed fields in Dave's area because the rich don't like slumming over there. That's why Howe's field is in such bad shape. But the ticks love it!
A quick glance at the headlines available on The Almanac's website that pertain to Mt. Lebanon:
• "Mt. Lebanon's Oldaker guides US Team to Gold" [congratulations Coach!!! Job well done.]
• "Mt. Lebanon creeps to a solution on deer" [yeah, it is pretty creepy how they're sneaking up on a solution]
• "Scores of cats euthanized in Mt. Lebanon" [eeeewww, scores of feral cats still roam neighborhoods]
• "Books stolen from Mt. Lebanon Public Library" [Geez, you can borrow them any time for free people, do you have to be so selfish as to steal them?]
• "Salary increases Mt. Lebanon School District Staff" [waaa, waaa waaa... Govenor Corbett sends us more money!!!]
Sounds like a real attractive community to move too, don't forget to load up on those Beerfest tickets.
Speaking of The Almanac, today's edition, page 47, lists the WPIAL Class AAAA football winners from 1980-2013. Mount Lebanon won in
2000,
1984,
1983,
1981,
1980.
Is this why we need a field house and a weight room?
3:26 The Trib also has an article about the cats. My family fostered and adopted an young animal this summer that was rescued from a hoarding situation. I guess that rural town where he is from has some genius in charge that allowed the rescue group access to the countless animals. Imagine that: a rural county (without turf) can figure out how to rescue animals from a hoarding situation and get them adopted to families all over Pittsburgh but Mt Lebanon can't... even when the numbers reach 80-100.
9:20 have you done any updates on your home since 1980? Your car, your "equipment"? Get it???
Not 9:20, but really 10:16 you're equating the new HS athletic wing of the high school as a simple home remodeling?
As for a car comparison, cars generally are planned to be turned over. Are you suggesting we turn over the athletic facility every ten years or so?
10:16, The Almanac lists the WPIAL enrollment for boys in grades 10-12 in Mount Lebanon at 626 students. About 80 will play football. Start a public/private partnership to raise the funds for the field house and weight room and see if the community will support such largesse for such so few kids. No wonder we lost our bond rating.
6:09 am What is the WPIAL enrollment for girls grades 10-12? Did the Almanac report that?
The swim team, the soccer team, gym classes, wrestling team, crew team among others use the weight room. What does the bond rating have to do with it?
Watch out... If you start counting students that are involved with field sports the Dave's will change school policies that all kids MUST play a field sport. Geeks need to demand equal resources!
Looks like the football coach has big spending habits but no alumni support for sports toys.
Are you kidding me? Mt. Lebanon officials and animal control could do nothing about this horrible cat situation because there isn't a specific ordinance limiting the number of cats per household? Are there not other ordinances pertaining to the general health, safety and welfare of the citizens (and cats) of Mt. Lebanon? I don't think a house with a foot deep of cat waste would actually be in compliance with local or county health codes. One can be cited in lebo for leaving garbage cans out too long, not shoveling snow from sidewalks and not keeping grass at a certain height. But apparently 100 cats in one house is a situation where animal control is not permitted to go in and resolve the problem. Give me a break! I'm not buying it.
1:37, I understand your frustration. When Raja was commission president the subject of chickens on Lebanon Ave. came up. Raja thought that was a management function and did not want to pass an ordinance to get it done. MANAGEMENT DID NOTHING
ABOUT THE PROBLEM SO HERE IT IS AGAIN STEVE!
The idea of failing to act when people are living next door or near 100 abandoned cats is really up there with merciless municipal management. What did Feller do? Ignore the phone calls or emails? I recognize that residents need to wait inordinate amounts of time for small asks in Mt Lebanon but is there ever a situation that cries out for HELP like this one?
And the biggest issue regarding the the Municipality's Home Rule Charter & Codes is whether it is gender neutral enough!
Now there is leadership and management that have their priorities in order.
OMG, this is getting worse and worse. Here is the hyperlink to 9:22 PM's comment. Seventy-two Cats Dead and Alleged Animal Abuser Unable to be Prosecuted Due to Humane Officer Breach of Duty
Elaine
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