Incumbent Brian Nolan challenged by former councilwoman Carrie Fox for Tarentum seat

Two familiar faces will vie for a four-year term on Tarentum Council.

Carrie Fox, a Democrat who previously served eight years on council, came out of retirement to seek another term because she missed being involved in the day-to-day business of the borough.

Brian Nolan, a Republican, is an incumbent first elected in 2021 who wants to continue helping.

Each is seeking to represent the borough’s Third Ward, which encompasses the West Tarentum neighborhood.

For both candidates, business district development is important.

“The business owners deserve respect,” said Fox, 61, a retired cosmetology teacher and certified ceramics teacher.

“The borough and business owners need to work together to get exposure attracting customers — having public events to entice customers to come to Tarentum and see what we have to offer.”

Fox believes West Tarentum needs a streetscape project to highlight the many businesses along the West Seventh Avenue corridor. When streets are well-maintained with new sidewalks and lighting, new shops will be enticed, she said.

“It is a main artery to Pittsburgh Brewing,” Fox said. “We need to highlight this area. Mixed-use buildings are perfect and the borough needs to focus on occupying empty buildings or demolishing the buildings that are standing in deplorable condition, to allow for growth.”

Nolan, 60, said council works hard to support the business districts.

“We’re doing everything we can,” said Nolan, a technician and retired firefighter.

He said a borough-supported grant program was launched in recent years to help the borough’s 150 or so small businesses to spruce up storefronts.

Owners can apply to split $50,000, distributed among 10 grants a year, to cover façade improvements and ultimately drive economic development.

“Tarentum is growing and getting better,” Nolan said. “We just have to keep doing what we’re doing.

“We have new electronic billboards so we can use them to our advantage and try to attract businesses as well.”

Fox and Nolan each said capital improvements, particularly to borough infrastructure, are an investment in the future and must be considered despite a limited budget.

“What’s below the ground is just as important to what’s above the ground,” Fox said.

“Riverview Memorial Park is a true asset to this borough. With the proper planning, which is being proposed, it may take 10 years to complete but we have to look toward the future. A community needs to grow and prosper, and it takes planning.”

Nolan said work to improve the 100-year-old water system is a must.

“More than anything else, we need to get that right,” he said. “The system is failing, and we lost a $1 million grant because the issuing agency didn’t do their part. On top of that, we’re stuck with a 15-year contract with East Deer who was paying less for water than we could produce it for. That was an agreement made by a previous council so we’re doing all that we can to get things right.”

With state funding limited, Nolan said keeping taxes manageable is always on council’s agenda.

“We’re going to do the best we can with what we have in the coffers and try not to raise costs too much,” he said. “We know everyone is hurting.

“There are some things, like the trash contract, where we don’t have a choice but other than that, we’ll do our best to get grants to help cover costs.”

For Fox, balance is the key.

“Tarentum needs to continue to advocate and push for grant funding and have the staffing to understand where the wants and needs are,” Fox said.