Another win for Mt. Lebanon Commissioners UPDATED 3X

By court order, Mt. Lebanon will be permitted to kill deer in Twin Hills next month. Scott v MTL Court Order

This is yet another black mark against our commissioners. Killing deer in Twin Hills does not more than kill Scott Township deer. Barbara Logan must be thrilled.

August 19, 2016 11:52 AM Cowards! This is the latest LeboAlert.

This is an important notice from LeboALERT.

Commission discussion session/adjourned meeting for Mon, Aug. 22, are cancelled. Exec session only. Next regular Commission meeting is Sept.13.

August 20, 2016 8:18 AM So why were the commission discussion session and the commission meeting canceled?

There were no agenda items other than one that is not time sensitive. 

Keith

August 23, 2016 9:11 PM I stopped in at the end of the Scott Township meeting tonight and learned that Mt. Lebanon gave their 30 day notice to start archery in Twin Hills. Does that make it September 23, 2016?

Deer and the Courts Update

A court ordered appearance before Judge McCarthy was to take place on July 26, 2016 between Scott Township and the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon regarding killing deer in Twin Hills Park located in Scott Township. The docket is available here. Anyone know the results of that conference?

My attorneys have appealed Court of Common Pleas Judge Terrence O'Brien's decision concerning donation exemptions. It is now in Commonwealth Court. Don't worry, Taxpayers. This isn't costing Mt. Lebanon taxpayers (including Judge O'Brien) anything additionally, thanks to the sweet deal Mt. Lebanon has with Buchanan Ingersoll. MTL can take anyone to court (or be taken to court) and it doesn't cost taxpayers a dime extra. Scott Township residents aren't so lucky. Neither are those who are granted TWO Final Determinations by the PA Office of Open Records of whom Judge O'Brien disagreed.

My gofundme is still active. See side bar for the link or click here. I have made Not In My Yard key fobs this year to match the yard signs which are still available. A $10 donation will get you both a yard sign and a key fob. What a deal! You would have to buy 104 yard signs and 104 key fobs to equal what taxpayers are spending just to register Susan Morgans for the NYC trade show!

Archery starts up again next month.  It sure came up quickly, didn't it? In Mt. Lebanon, we kill (or try to kill) deer more often than not.

Wait a minute, wait a minute!

Hunters provide trees for areas damaged by deer in Mt. Lebanon

Planting sites in Bird Park and Twin Hills Park were chosen by the municipal public works department and by the Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy, whose volunteers are planting the trees this month. Municipal manager Keith McGill said the cooperation of the archers, Game Commission and local volunteers will help to keep the community’s green spaces healthy.

Mt. Lebanon was cutting down trees in Twin Hills last fall and late summer. We have goats eating invasives in Bird Park. Why do deer get blamed for everything? They have "attacked humans" according to the Public Information Office, but to date, the PIO writes that coyotes have never attacked humans in the entire state of Pennsylvania. 

Court Orders Mt. Lebanon to end hunting in Twin Hills Park UPDATED 3X

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2015/10/05/Court-orders-Mt-Lebanon-to-end-controlled-archery-hunt-in-Twin-Hills-Park/stories/201510050166

Court orders Mt. Lebanon to end controlled archery hunt in Twin Hills Park

Mt. Lebanon has been ordered to end its controlled archery hunt in Twin Hills Park.

This morning an Allegheny County civil court granted a Scott Township request that the neighboring municipality stop its contractor, White Buffalo, from shooting deer in the 25-acre park at the northern tip of Mt. Lebanon.

The archery hunt, organized by the nonprofit wildlife management group, is part of Mt. Lebanon's ongoing effort to reduce deer-vehicle collisions by 50 percent in five years.

In 1994 the park was purchased from a private owner by Mt. Lebanon, but the park is located within the boundaries of Scott. Scott solicitor Robert McTiernan said the property was purchased with a conditional use agreement stipulating that Twin Hills Park must be used for “recreational uses.”

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Judge: Mt. Lebanon must immediately prevent hunting in Twin Hills Park

By The Tribune-Review
Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, 2:45 p.m.

Mt. Lebanon must immediately prevent hunting in Twin Hills Park in Scott, a judge said Monday.

Scott sued Mt. Lebanon in Allegheny Common Pleas Court, seeking an injunction that would halt deer hunting in the park until the municipality gets permission from Scott's commissioners. The hunt is part of a longtime effort to control Mt. Lebanon's deer population.

An Allegheny County judge granted a preliminary injunction, ordering Mt. Lebanon immediately to put up posters or markers making it clear that hunting is prohibited in the park.

When Scott granted Mt. Lebanon a conditional-use permit for the 25-acre park in 1994, it was limited to recreational uses, said township solicitor Robert McTiernan.

“This is, in our view, not a recreational use,” McTiernan said.

Mt. Lebanon manager Steve Feller wrote in an email last month that Mt. Lebanon does not need Scott's permission to hunt.

“We believe that Mt. Lebanon, like all property owners, has a right under state law to conduct archery hunting according to the rules of the Pennsylvania Game Commission,” he said. “Scott Township officials have been briefed on the program. Twin Hills Park is one of the designated public sites for archery hunting under the program.”

Mt. Lebanon only “briefed” Scott after township officials found out about the hunting and contacted the municipality, McTiernan said.


Update October 5, 2015 3:54 PM

Scott Township Affidavit
Scott Township Complaint
Scott Township Motion and Court Order

Update October 5, 2015 6:15 PM New sign posted at Twin Hills:

Update October 5, 2015 10:04 PM The PG article has been updated. http://www.post-gazette.com/local/south/2015/10/05/Court-orders-Mt-Lebanon-to-end-controlled-archery-hunt-in-Twin-Hills-Park/stories/201510050166 What jerks.

Update October 6, 2015 4:59 AM See, Commissioners? There will be no need for "sharpshooting."

Judge: Mt. Lebanon must immediately prevent hunting in Twin Hills Park in Scott

Despite the injunction, “We have enough properties available that we can go through with a successful cull, and it won't severely affect the outcome,” said Cori Vipperman, a member of Lebo Residents for Effective Deer Management, a group that favors the deer cull.

Scott Township is p!$$ed! UPDATED

I got a call tonight from someone who attended the Scott Township meeting. Scott Commissioners couldn't wait to go into Executive Session to discuss what course of action they will be taking next over Twin Hills.

From what I understand, the Scott Township Police Chief, Manager, and Commissioners wanted to meet with their Mt. Lebanon counterparts, but their manager was unavailable and asked Mt. Lebanon to delay hunting in Twin Hills until after they met. Mt. Lebanon would not wait. Scott Township is really pissed!

Scott Township is challenging Mt. Lebanon's position on Twin Hills being open to police only. It is a public park, so if hunting is done by some, it can be done by anyone. Mt. Lebanon is acting like Twin Hills is privately owned, but the Scott Township commissioners aren't buying it. 

A commissioner asked for a "Not In My Yard" sign tonight. I am hoping to get a podcast of the meeting. The link to the Lebo Citizen podcasts are here. Click here if your browser is not compatible with the website.

This is going to get really ugly.

Another shipment arrived today.

Update September 23, 2015 9:12 AM A draft of the agreement which sets forth their mutual understanding as to responsibility of the maintenance of Twin Hills and its police and fire protection, was never executed.

Police dressed as archers dressed as golfers?

This is getting more ludicrous by the day. I heard that "someone" suggested having our police department pose as hunters while sitting in tree stands. They wouldn't be hunting, but would be on a stakeout for yahoos and poachers during our five months of killing deer. Jody Maddock had told us at the June 22 meeting that he has had archers dress like golfers on golf courses, to blend in more. My question is would our police be dressed as archers dressed as golfers?  Comedy writers need to come to Mt. Lebanon for inspiration.

A question came up about Twin Hills. Who do we call if we see tree stands in Twin Hills? Here is the answer. Call 911. Describe the location of the tree stand to the dispatcher. They will determine whether to dispatch a Scott Township officer or Mt. Lebanon officer.

After the last meeting, Commissioner Dave Brumfield told a few residents that Mt. Lebanon doesn't  have the manpower to control speeders, but they can do something about the deer. Here we go again, putting Mt. Lebanon's finest on deer patrol.