Export to begin towing illegally parked vehicles

Export officials want residents to know that “no-parking” signs are not just suggestions.

And they’re going to start towing cars to make sure the message comes through loud and clear.

“We are serious about no-parking areas,” Mayor Joe Zaccagnini said at Monday’s council meeting. “We will have your car towed.”

Stephen Opsitnick, from the borough public works department, said cars parked illegally can create potentially dangerous situations when crews are out trying to plow snow.

“There was one car the other night — if I had slid in the plow, it would’ve taken some real damage,” Opsitnick said.

Zaccagnini asked residents to respect no-parking signage and yellow-painted curbs, and said a local towing company is more than willing to help the borough out.

“It’s a safety issue,” he said.

The borough does not generate any revenue from parking enforcement, Zaccagnini said. Anyone whose car is towed would pay the towing company to get it back.

In other business:

• Council presented the 2021 Export Borough & B. Earnest Long Selfless Service Award to Councilwoman Melanie Litz.

Litz, a longtime council member, was instrumental in the formation of the Export Historical Society and the planning for the borough’s now-annual summer festival.

“It’s really exciting to see how much we’ve done,” Litz said in accepting the award. “It continues to be interesting and exciting. We all live here and we just want it to be the best place it can be for all our residents.”

• Council voted 6-0 to enter into a contract with a new animal control provider. Council will enter into a contract with Irwin-based Hidewaway Kennels, pending solicitor Wes Long’s review of the contract, the extension of the contract to two years and a bump in Hideaway’s liability insurance coverage.

Hideaway currently provides animal control services for New Stanton, Lower Tyrone and Loyalhanna.

Councilman Joe Ferri was not present.

• Export joined the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs for the 2021 year.

The association has existed since 1911, doing legislative advocacy, research and outreach education to the state’s 956 boroughs.