Lower Burrell officials criticized for not closing roads for high school senior parade

The former mayor of Lower Burrell and some city residents are criticizing a social media post made by city officials regarding a celebratory parade for Burrell High School seniors on Sunday.

City officials informed residents about the parade on the city’s official Facebook page shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday.

The post said the 1 p.m. parade is parent-sponsored, not city-sponsored, and that all roads would remain open during it.

“Please, note that while the City recognizes the need to pay tribute to our local Seniors, this is not a traditional parade with closures,” the post said. “During this time, all roads will remain open and normal two-way traffic will still occur. Those traveling in the direction towards the High School will be unaffected. Those traveling toward New Kensington should expect delays or are encouraged to take alternate routes.”

The post had more than 100 comments and 100 shares by Sunday afternoon, with several people blasting city officials for not closing the roads.

“Way to support your Graduating class Lower Burrell…. It is shameful and ridiculous that you cannot close the road for 20 minutes to let these kids have the spotlight they deserve,” one person wrote. “They have earned this.”

“The road gets closed for millions of reasons, I can’t believe for the entire 20 minutes this might take the road couldn’t be shut down for these kids,” another person wrote. “You know the ones who missed all of their “last” moments.”

Former Mayor Rich Callender said he put together a committee of parents and seniors to organize a parade because the city nor the school district was holding one. His daughter is graduating this year.

The parade started at the high school. Seniors went up Leechburg Road to Craigdell Road, and ended at Riverview Plaza in New Kensington.

“The school was more than gracious to offer up their parking lot to stage it, which I commend them for,” Callender said. “We had to ask the city, of course, for permission to have the procession. They allowed us to have it, but they didn’t support it.”

Reached by phone later Sunday afternoon, Mayor John Andrejcik said the city made sure police officers would be available to escort the seniors, and intersections would be blocked off.

”Even though this wasn’t a city-sponsored event, we’ve been as gracious as we possibly could have been, helping the people that have organized in doing anything they asked of us,” Andrejcik said.

Andrejcik said the city didn’t sponsor the parade because officials didn’t want to take anything away from the organizers. He said Leechburg Road wasn’t shut down because it’s a state maintained road, and city officials didn’t think they had enough time to request a permit for that.

“I don’t know if anybody even really asked us to block roads, but that would have been something that we needed to check into with the state because it’s a state maintained highway,” Andrejcik said.

Councilman Rob Hamilton commented on the city’s Facebook post. He said he wasn’t pleased with the wording of the post, and apologized to any seniors who may have thought city officials didn’t support them.

Hamilton said legally the city can’t close the roads, but has always had police escorts at past events. He said the parade would be “very little different from parades in the past.”

“Just to be clear to everyone concerned and frustrated. We did support this parade and have worked with getting the police there,” Hamilton wrote. “…I do not support the language used here as we have worked since our knowledge of the parade to get assistance to support it! I’m not sure why it was worded like this as my last understanding was not worded like this at all.”