The lighting of what Pennsylvania law deems as consumer fireworks will continue to be permitted in Plum.
During their Oct. 3 work session, members of borough council agreed to maintain existing local regulations in the wake of a new state law that became effective in September.
“The changes aren’t so much about what’s legal and what’s not legal, from an actual firework perspective, although they did do a better job this time differentiating or defining what is considered consumer fireworks versus commercial fireworks,” borough manager Michael Thomas said at the meeting, a video of which was available for viewing through social media.
According to state police, Pennsylvania residents are allowed to purchase and use consumer-grade products, “such as firecrackers, Roman candles, bottle rockets and similar fireworks that contain a maximum of 50 milligrams of explosive material.”
“What is legal under the term ‘consumer fireworks’ is not within your purview to change,” Thomas told council.
The law allows municipalities to restrict their use between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., except for July 2-4 and Dec. 31, when fireworks can be shot until 1 a.m. Further rules apply when the dates fall on certain days of the week.
For commercial displays, the borough continues to require the issuance of permits. State law classifies such fireworks as containing “more than two grains or 130 milligrams of explosive materials, and professional-grade aerial shells containing more than 60 grams of pyrotechnic compositions.”
In other business at the work session:
• Council authorized Thomas to send a letter to the state Department of Transportation requesting a traffic study at Sardis and Old Leechburg roads, near Plum’s Renton neighborhood.
The borough received two separate requests through the office of state Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Penn Hills, to examine the possibility of a four-way stop at the intersection, according to Thomas.
“During my tenure here, this would be the fourth time we’ve studied this intersection. It has never met the warrants for a four-way stop sign,” he said, with the most recent request and subsequent rejection in 2011. “I do understand why people believe that and want that. But at the end of the day, it’s a PennDOT decision.”
• Police Chief Lanny Conley’s request for the $6,500 purchase of emergency building-entry equipment was placed on the agenda for council’s regular meeting on Oct. 12.
The goal is to have the equipment — including sledgehammers, bolt cutters and battering rams — available in each of the police department’s three supervisor’s vehicles.
“We have one set, and we keep them at the station,” Thomas said. “If we ever had to make entry to a house, somebody would have to drive back to the station and get it.”
He said money for the purchase is available from the borough’s recent sale of a DataMaster breath tester for $5,500, plus $1,000 from Allegheny County’s drug forfeiture fund.
