Latest news with #HempfieldTownship
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Hempfield Township wants to add sidewalks near University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg campus
Leaders are looking to make it safer to walk on a busy road in Hempfield Township. If you're walking along Mt. Pleasant Road near the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, a sidewalk ends near the campus housing. It then turns into woods, plants and people's front yards. The idea is to extend the sidewalk to increase connectivity. If you go beyond the sidewalk, it's not the safest walk along Mt. Pleasant Road, as it is almost always an endless line of cars. "We have a great business corridor that we want people to frequent, and not everybody wants to drive to everything," Hempfield Township manager Aaron Siko said. According to Siko, the township has applied for a $1.6 million grant to cover the first phase of work. It would go from Weatherwood Lane and the new municipal center to Old Airport Road. Other phases would take it to Finoli Drive at Pitt Greensburg's campus, Weatherwood Lane to Thornton Avenue, and then along Pellis Road to the Eastwood neighborhood. The project would use the right-of-way they own. "That's where we would intend to put the sidewalks. That's either paved shoulders or grass. There are some encroachments within right-of-ways that we would have to address through that project," Siko said. This stretch of road has seen crashes, and back in 2023, a Pitt-Greensburg student was hit by a car. This project is dependent on getting the grant money. Once the township gets the money, it can start construction in either 2027 or 2028, depending on the permitting process. "We're confident that we have a worthwhile grant application that shows a need for enhanced pedestrian mobility through this corridor," Siko said. Other phases will have to go through the grant proposals after this first one. At this point, there is no word yet on when the other phases of the project could begin.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Wendel villagers say they're fed up with not having mail service
Villagers in Wendel are saying they've been without mail service for almost five years, and many are saying enough is enough. Since 2021, the post office in the village of Wendel in Hempfield Township has been closed. Wendel has never had home delivery, so people had to come to the post office to pick up their mail. Tim Szekely is the second generation of his family to own the old postal building. He says his father had a very amicable lease with the postal service for decades, but he says that it was the Postal Service that dictated a bad lease agreement to his father several years back. "Normally, when I lease you a property, I'm the one who gives you the lease, but with the post office, they give you a lease," Szekely said. "So they went from a two-page simple lease to like a booklet, and my dad's like, 'I can't sign the booklet. I don't know what's in it,' and he said eventually, 'I'll sign it and we can keep going on the old lease.' He was perfectly willing to do that, but if you ask me, it was scheduled to be shut down, they just wanted it shut down." Once the facility was closed, some villagers, who live directly off Wendel Road, changed their addresses from Wendel to Irwin and started getting their mail delivered to their boxes along that road. But for most members of this community, who live off the main drag in small neighborhoods, they have been forced to drive across Route 30 to the Manor Post Office, some 10 minutes away, and pick up their mail from a clerk. But Wendel residents say that has to change. Jackie Greenawalt, a former postal employee at the old Wendel Post Office, says they have been reaching out to many officials in the local, state and federal government for help. But she says no one seems able to help. "Ideally, we want the mail delivered to our house, like a lot of other people, and it's free. You know, everyone is entitled to free delivery," Greenawalt said. "And if it can't be that, then cluster boxes the NBCUs would be great. We were already told that there will never be a post office building here Wendel, so home delivery." When reached for comment, the Postal Service said they have no update on when or if they'll be restoring service to the village of Wendel. The Hempfield supervisor released a statement, saying: "Hempfield Township is committed to working collaboratively with our federal legislators to ensure the concerns of our residents are communicated effectively. We remain hopeful that the United States Postal Service and the Postmaster General will take appropriate steps to enhance service reliability. Our staff will continue to engage with federal officials in a constructive manner to support the needs of our community."
CBS News
02-08-2025
- CBS News
19-year-old on e-bike killed in Westmoreland County hit-and-run
State police in Greensburg are working to identify who was driving a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Hempfield Township Thursday night. It happened on College Avenue near the intersection of North Greengate Road around 11 p.m. The Westmoreland County coroner identified the victim as 19-year-old Jayden Lynch of Jeannette. Trooper Steve Limani said Lynch was riding an e-bike and was heading westbound on College Avenue when he was hit. "It takes a very unique type of person to hit somebody, collide, and cause catastrophic damage to another human being and then the first decision you make is to leave the scene of the crash," Limani said. Limani said the bumper of the car involved fell off at the scene before it fled westbound toward Jeannette. "One of the key pieces of evidence for our investigation, as it stands right now, was a part of a bumper. Inside that bumper had serial marks and markings that would help us in our investigation to identify that particular vehicle would be either a Kia Rio or Forte that would be a 2011 to 2013 and obviously, with the color we had that we had the color of the vehicle as well, because we had that piece of the of the vehicle," Limani said. State police said they then contacted Jeannette police who became a key component in helping find the vehicle, later found parked outside a home in Jeannette. "We were clearly able to see from being outside that Jeannette residence that that vehicle was also missing the piece of the bumper that would have had been left on the roadway that was struck because of the collision," Limani said. From there, investigators worked to make contact with those inside the home. "They were able to see that there was movement inside the home, but no one came in and allowed us to come into the home," Limani said. "At that point in time, we set up a perimeter and had a type of search warrant to enter the residence to see who the people that were in there." One investigators were able to go inside, police said multiple people were there but all of them were uncooperative. "We're still only hours into the investigation, and I hope people can have some patience with us. We feel very confident that we're going to be able to follow through at some point in time with an arrest," Limani said. Limani said the vehicle involved is now in the state police impound lot where investigators are collecting evidence. "We're just now working through the rest of the circumstances that surrounding this, this horrific incident where we had a young man lose his life here in Hempfield Township," Limani said. State police are asking anyone who may live in the area of the crash to check their doorbell video and are asking any witnesses of the crash to call PSP Greensburg at 724-832-3288. Those who live near where the crash happened described the intersection as a dangerous one. "There's been times I've pulled out and almost been struck by a vehicle going the wrong way, blasting through the light or speeding. I go extremely slow at this intersection," Marcus Weakland said. Weakland said he heard a car beeping around 11 p.m. Thursday night. "We looked out the window. Saw someone had their four-ways on. Thought it was a fender bender at most," Weakland said. "We were shocked when we saw that this morning. It wasn't just a fender bender. It wasn't just an angry driver. It was actually somebody getting hit and killed." Weakland believes there needs to be more signs at the intersection to help ease traffic and potential collisions. "There's a turning lane in Jeannette that you turn left at and sometimes people go straight through it," Weakland said. "There needs to be more signage. Especially with the situation turning into Jeannette and someone goes straight up Greengate hill, and doesn't look at the signage on the ground. There's signage on the ground but nothing up high. It doesn't show you that this is a turning lane and a straight away lane. There's no signage other than what's on the ground and if you're not looking down, you're not paying attention. You may impact someone else." The Westmoreland County Coroner said Lynch was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. A cause and manner of death are pending autopsy and toxicology results.
CBS News
01-07-2025
- CBS News
Former Westmoreland County IHOP general manager charged with taking $12K in fake paychecks
The former general manager of an IHOP in Westmoreland County is accused of falsifying payroll records and pocketing more than $12,000. Pennsylvania State Police said the investigation into 45-year-old Aldo Maya Garcia, who was the general manager of the IHOP on Route 30 in Hempfield Township, began in August of last year. Police said financial records turned over to troopers showed that there were more than 20 checks that were suspected of being falsified. Investigators said employees clock in and out through a point-of-sale system in the restaurant, but the fake time entries were created from a remote device using a code. The company told investigators that, as the general manager, Maya Garcia would have access. Troopers said Maya Garcia faked an identity to create an employee who didn't exist. She entered 18 shifts into payroll for that imaginary employee and endorsed them for mobile deposit, police said. She also allegedly entered in several shifts for a worker no longer employed there. During the investigation, troopers said they learned that Maya Garcia was charged in 2023 with similar thefts when she was the general manager of an IHOP in Montgomery County, Ohio. A search warrant executed on financial records showed that the fake checks were deposited into two separate accounts belonging to Maya Garcia, police said. Maya Garcia is charged with theft, identity theft and tampering of records. A warrant is out for her arrest, and police are looking for her. Anyone with information is asked to call state police's Greensburg barracks at 724-832-3288.
CBS News
18-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Hempfield Township eyes fall opening for first phase of new municipal complex
After almost a year of work, phase one of the new 43-acre municipal complex in Hempfield Township is eyeing a fall opening for the public. Township leaders say that this municipal campus, which sits just off Route 30 and Mount Pleasant Road, will be the first of its kind for the area. Hempfield Township Manager Aaron Siko says that the work on phase one includes all the infrastructure of this area. Things like building water and sewer lines for restrooms, electrical work, and road construction. But he says, the phase one construction also includes a lot of the fun stuff, too. "A pavilion for rental, a yoga deck area, a cardio fitness area, a passive and active recreation area, including a nature-inspired playground, a splash pad that is for all ages, that's all encompassing," Siko said. The total cost of this project is over $15 million, and it is being paid for not through tax increases, but through bond measures. Plus, the township has received $3 million in grant money and private support. Phase one is set to be finished in September. Phase two, which includes a synthetic turf field, a natural grass soccer field, pickleball courts, and additional parking, is set to break ground next spring. The township hasn't set any official dates for the later phases. Those will include the construction of a new Hempfield community center, a public safety building that will house the Hempfield Fire Department, as well as a new public works building. Hempfield Township Supervisor Doug Weimer says that this is going to be a huge draw for the township and for local businesses once it is completed. "I think that the community has been very excited to see the progress," said Weimer. "With the fact that everyone travels by this property, there has been a lot of excitement and buzz in the community, and people just can't wait to get here." Once phase one is completed, the township says they are going to have a big celebration to open this place up.
