Photo by Joseph Bell
Ridgway mayor James Donald Martin, right, sorts through correspondence last night alongside council member John Casolo.

By Joseph Bell

Staff Writer

The Ridgway Borough Council reported last night that the trend continues as 89 oversized loads were directed through Ridgway during October, a figure which pushed the total to 295 for the year.
“We had 89 oversized loads for the month and they just kept coming and coming and coming,” Ridgway major James Donald Martin said last night during a borough council meeting. “The (police) chief (Ralph Tettis) said we haven’t been able to do much else other than escort loads through the community.
“(Yesterday), they had one of the biggest loads that ever went through Ridgway, and we didn’t know about it until they were 10 miles out. They came south and I didn’t get down there so I didn’t see it. The traffic was held up for over 20 minutes to get that load up and around.”
The borough has made $29,500 on the year from escorting oversized loads through town at a rate of $100 apiece.
Stemming from last month’s meeting, borough manager Martin Schuller reported that residents from the High-Rise expressed concern regarding the lights at the swimming pool.
According to Schuller’s report, timers were reset to get the lights on quicker.
“Last month, we discussed kids hanging around the swimming pool area after hours and we’ve had officers down there and we’ve got some,” Martin said. “The lighting was a problem but the timing has been changed so the lights will now come on at 5 p.m.
“I emphasized to the chief that at 9 p.m., there is not to be anyone in that area. So they’re patrolling that area now.”
Schuller also reported a break-in at the borough’s fill area where unknown actor(s) stole approximately $1,000 worth of welding and cutter parts. The investigation is continuing.