Mayor warns drivers about sinkhole, plans speeding crackdown

Ron Mozer cites Tyrol and Grand boulevards as dangerous areas.

Monessen Mayor Ron Mozer

Mayor Ron Mozer addressed safety concerns in the city, including a sinkhole on Ninth Street and speeding, during Thursday’s Monessen council meeting.

The sinkhole opened up on the end of Ninth Street near Schoonmaker Avenue.

“The storm drain just up from (the sinkhole) has a huge void that has eaten out all the soil underneath the sidewalk, and the sidewalk’s collapsed, the road is collapsing and it’s going to require some work,” Mozer said. “I’ve asked our engineer to look into that.”

Mozer also said he will instruct the police department to ramp up its traffic patrol in an effort to curb speeding in the city.

“There is an issue where I think our traffic is starting to progressively get faster and faster and faster,” Mozer said. “We need to slow it back down.”

Mozer used Grand Boulevard as an example where he’s observed speeding.

“You come over the hill coming from Tyrol (Boulevard) on to Grand (Boulevard) and there’s very few cars that are going 25,” he said. “Some of them are going 50 mph; that’s a 25 mph speed limit.”

Mozer reminded motorists that speeding affects safety, especially with numerous construction projects going on in the city.

“If you’re driving too fast for road conditions, you need to slow down, regardless what the speed limit is,” he said. “At night, the road may not even be lit well in places.”

Mozer said he’ll ask police to give first-time speeding offenders a warning, but a second offense will result in a citation.

“There’s lots of consequences to speeding,” he said. “It’s more than just breaking the law, there’s greater potential for loss of control of the vehicle, it reduces the amount of time allowed to respond to events.”

Mozer reminded residents to be mindful of children and deer as well.

“Deer are showing up all over the place; they’re getting way too tame,” he said. “They’re showing up on roads, they’re getting hit. That does damage to your car.

“I’m asking everybody to share this information with your friends, your neighbors. I’m not trying to blindside anybody.”

In other business

Bob Stark asked council during public comments about his seat on the Monessen Police Accountability and Internal Affairs Board, as his term was set to expire at the end of last year.

Solicitor Joseph Dalfonso explained to Stark that he’s still on the board as council has not appointed a replacement.

“Well, there’s no one to replace me because there’s no one there,” Stark said.

Stark sent a letter dated Dec. 26 to the city requesting the retention of his seat, but he never received a response.

At the end of last year, Monessen advertised open positions on its various boards. Since then, the city has not received any requests to join the police accountability board.

“If something happened and we’d have to pull the police in, I’m going to sit there by myself,” Stark said.

“There would not be a quorum on that board,” Dalfonso said. “You’re not going to be able to operate.”

Council intends to vote on Stark’s reappointment to the police accountability board at the July 11 meeting.