Sharpsburg officials approve agreement with Parkview EMS

Sharpsburg officials have approved an agreement for continued service with O’Hara-based Parkview EMS.

Council unanimously voted for the deal, which has no end date, at its April 27 meeting.

Parkview has been the borough’s ambulance provider for several years.

Borough Manager Christine DeRunk said compensation remains at $10,000 a year.

“This agreement just formalizes what we are already doing,” DeRunk said. “The only difference is that we will now be able to provide lower cost CPR and first aid training to all borough staff and not just first responders. We will also get a monthly report. The agreement does not change anything else.”

Karen Pilarski-Pastor, council vice president and public safety chair, said Parkview did not provide any reports before.

Reports will show number of calls to Sharpsburg, number of calls answered by mutual aid, response priority code and general nature of the calls.

Pastor said it will increase communication between both entities and help foster a stronger relationship.

“They give us great service,” she said. “We have no complaints whatsoever.”

Sharpsburg is the latest community to approve a formal agreement with Parkview EMS. Parkview EMS could not be immediately reached for comment.

Oakmont officials chose Parkview over Lower Valley Ambulance Service in March.

Oakmont will pay Parkview $50,000 annually for services and allocate an additional $50,000 annually toward ambulance purchases, which are expected to be made in 2027 and 2033.

Parkview will have a once-a-year donation fund drive in Oakmont as part of its deal, which also has no expiration date.

In other public safety news

Sharpsburg Police Chief Thomas Stelitano said officers were cracking down on aggressive driving, particularly along Main and North Canal streets and at stop signs. The speed limit is 25 mph.

“There’s been an uptick in traffic flow coming through here (because of Route 28 construction),” Stelitano said. “We’re telling people to slow down. We almost had a kid get hit right here at crosswalk leaving the park.”

He said people have been cutting through Sharpsburg and Aspinwall to avoid construction.

“I get it,” Stelitano said. “There’s nowhere to go, but slow down. Pay attention to the signs. Pay attention to the speed. We’ve got kids everywhere. In another month, school’s going to be out. My guys have been writing everybody citations.

“We’re just trying to get the message across. Stop at the stop signs (and) do the speed limit.”

Sharpsburg officials plan to discuss ways to have bathrooms at Kennedy Park open during the summer. They are usually closed unless there is a special event in the park.

Council briefly talked about having portable restrooms in the park May through September to help combat a rise in public urinations.

Councilwoman Carrie Tongarm said the parks and recreation committee will come up with long-term strategies to address those incidents.