Baldwin Manager Urges Duquesne Light to Pursue LED Technology

How Are Those Lights Coming?

Baldwin Borough Manager John Barrett said at Tuesday night's Baldwin Council meeting that he continues to urge Duquesne Light officials to investigate the possibility of installing LED lights in Baldwin.

However, Duquesne Light, which owns the borough's streetlights, still does not have an LED lighting option ready for Baldwin in order to help the borough to save on energy costs.

In 2012, Baldwin officials gave Duquesne Light the go-ahead to eliminate more than 27 percent of the borough's streetlights (all non-LED) in order to save money.

Barrett said that he wrote a letter to Duquesne Light saying, essentially, "In our opinion, nothing's been done."

Baldwin Mayor Alexander R. Bennett Jr. suggested that perhaps Baldwin could become a "pilot" municipality in its region for Duquesne Light-provided LED lights.

"Maybe they could give us some kind of a financial break, too, as someone who shows other communities how it can be done," Bennett said.

"I don't wanna drop it (the LED topic)."

Borough officials did not say that the installation of LED lights in Baldwin would coincide with the restoration of any streetlights that have already been taken down.

Sgt. Ralph Miller

Multiple groups organized a blood drive before Tuesday's council meeting in honor of Sgt. Ralph Miller, the Baldwin police officer injured on Feb. 10 in a friendly fire incident in central Baldwin.

Mayor Bennett, who recently returned from vacation and oversees the borough's police force, said in an interview after Tuesday's meeting that Miller is "making progress" in his recovery from injuries and that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

He wouldn't comment any further, except to say, "When it's an open investigation like this, I'm not saying anything about it until we find out what's really going on.

"And the council has been advised that they should not say anything until the investigation is complete."

Kurt Hinish Fundraiser

The Baldwin Council is expected to approve next week the waiving of a facility fee for the Baldwin-Whitehall Youth Football Association (BWYFA) to hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the Leland Park Community Center in south Baldwin on April 21 from 5 to 9 p.m.

The fundraiser is for the family of Kurt Hinish. Hinish, 46, recently had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon, and he is facing several months of chemotherapy, severely hampering his ability to work as a self-employed concrete contractor.

Hinish is a 1984 graduate of Baldwin High School and is a volunteer coach for the BWYFA. His wife, Tawnie, is a technology teacher for the Baldwin-Whitehall School District.

Councilman Absent

Councilman Bob Collet was absent from Tuesday's meeting.

Baldwin Council to Consider Raising Swimming Pool Rates

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