Ongoing disputes between Leetsdale VFW Post 3372 and the borough have gone to a new level as a result of recently installed Americans with Disabilities compliant parking spaces at Henle Park.

The borough had received grant funding through the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development and Quaker Valley Council of Governments to improve access to the park.

Two spaces were installed last year along Ferry Street, with access right off the street next to the memorial.

Two additional spaces were installed last month next to the VFW parking lot.

The VFW put concrete barriers by the ADA spaces, making them difficult to access. There are multiple concrete and plastic barriers in a row, less than a foot inside what VFW officials said is their property line.

Post Cmdr. Bill Davis said they are there to help protect the lot, which has posted signs notifying drivers that VFW parking is only for members and guests.

“We’re not here to have a fight with the borough,” Davis said on July 16. “It’s our property.”

However, borough officials said they were surprised to see the barriers and said the VFW is not being a good neighbor by restricting access to the park.

“What the VFW is doing is unexpected for us,” borough engineer Dan Slagle said on July 14. “I’m surprised that they appeared a month ago. I’m not sure if they are exactly on the property line or not. The VFW parking lot and adjoining Henle Park have shared this parking lot over the past 80 years. Why the change? I don’t know. This parking pad project has been in the works for probably over a year.”

A strip of asphalt, about six feet wide in some sections, off Beaver Street and onto borough property, is the only safe access to the ADA spaces by the VFW. The paved area later sprawls out to a turnaround near a white marker that identifies the property line.

Council at its July 10 meeting tabled a motion to hire a real estate surveyor to identify property lines in Henle Park.

Council president Maria Napolitano said on July 16 that the borough is “figuring out what the next steps might be” to improve access to the park and the new spaces. She declined to say what those next steps could be.

She said the park and its splash pad are used by many people from different communities and organizations such as the Sewickley Valley YMCA, and having access for everyone to the recreation site is very important.

Council vice president Osman Awad said there were discussions with the commander about paving the VFW lot in exchange for more access, but all offers were rejected.

“The vets are supposed to be for the community, not against the community,” Awad said. “We offer him money; we offer all kinds of different stuff. He is just a hardheaded guy. … The guy don’t want to budge from nothing.”

There are about 25 lined parking spaces in the VFW lot. It also has a gravel area leading to a dumpster that can fit several cars, as well as a lawn that leads to a memorial that could fit at least a dozen vehicles.

Davis recalled the offer to pave the lot with the help of grant funding, but did not go for it, thinking grant funds could not be used for private property. He also expressed concern that if the borough does gain access, it will somehow take the lot from the VFW and it will no longer be private.

Awad said there are no plans to take over the lot, and having an easement to the ADA spaces during the summer months would be a big help.

“I’m surprised he’s doing this,” Awad said. “This (park) is for the whole community. You’re hurting people who are enjoying their lives.”

Frustrations have been building for years, ever since the splash pad was installed, Davis said.

People have used the VFW lot for park access and left trash, diapers and other materials in the lot.

Davis acknowledged that those incidents are not frequent, but have caused concerns for members who have asked people to leave the lot. He recalled one occasion in which a group of youths smoked so much marijuana that the smell permeated the whole lot.

“The people that come here don’t care,” Davis said. “They have no respect.”

There are other occasions where the VFW has allowed agencies to use its lots for special occasions.

The YMCA has used it monthly for some of its programs with no incident, Davis said.

Previous correspondence

The borough attempted to address the barriers before the parking spot project via a letter to the VFW in mid-April.

According to the letter, obtained by TribLive, the borough demanded that the VFW remove plastic parking barriers borough officials claimed were “unlawfully placed on borough property adjacent to Beaver Street and near Henle Park.”

The letter goes on to state that members of the VFW trespassed onto borough land and erected the barriers without permission, are on borough property and that they obstruct access to public parking and prevent residents and visitors from safely using the park.

Davis said the VFW had a land survey by Hampton Technical Associates in September, and the barriers were on VFW property.

Davis said there was a meeting with borough solicitor Dan Conlon, several council members and VFW officials after the letter was received, and the matter was settled with things working out in the Post’s favor.

Mayor Sandra Ford confirmed the meeting took place, but that no issues were resolved.

“Nothing got resolved because of that meeting,” Ford said. “Matter of fact, it got worse.”

The mayor said there is a discrepancy with the property lines and the borough solicitor is handling it.

She declined to go into details of the borough’s options, and went on to say Davis is the sole driver of the problems.

“I would like to see them be good neighbors like the commanders before him,” Ford said. “All the commanders before him were good neighbors, got along with Leetsdale and they lived by their motto that they support the community that they are located in. I would like to see that happen. It’s only this commander that does not get along with the borough.”

Davis said he welcomes any action from the borough and believes the VFW is within its rights to protect its lot.

The post has at least seven active members who are veterans and multiple social members. It is usually open daily from 3-8 p.m. unless there are special events.

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