From the Bog

Waiting For the Snowmen to Arrive

Cranberry’s road warriors look forward to trying out their new winter weapon.

Western Pennsylvania traditionally has two seasons per year—bad weather and construction season.  The transitions usually take place early in November and April. So far at least, 2011’s weather has been kind to Cranberry. Temperatures have been mild, snowfall has been miniscule and black ice is rare. Construction season continues to linger on, notably throughout the Wexford flats area on Route 19. At least for the record, that’s fine. No public official wants to be quoted saying he or she would love to see winter’s fury arrive with its blizzards, drifts, ice storms and bone-chilling cold.  In any other year, that sentiment would go double for Bob Howland, Cranberry’s road crew director, and the employees who work alongside him on the …

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Township Parking Tickets in the Works

Cranberry will soon introduce a cheaper alternative to the state citation when it comes to parking tickets.

Cranberry residents illegally parked on the streets when plow trucks are clearing the area may soon find themselves with a citation from the township. At Thursday’s board of supervisors meeting, officials gave the OK to start advertising for a bill that would allow the township to dole out parking tickets to violators. On-street parking always has been illegal in Cranberry, but enforcing it requires the use of a state citation, which Jeff Schueler, director of public safety, said comes with a hefty price tag. While the ticket’s base price ranges anywhere from $5 up to $50, the total fee is much higher once court costs are factored in. “You’re almost up to $100 for a parking ticket,” Schueler said. “We just feel that’s a little much.” With …

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Bill Baker

11:50 am on Saturday, February 5, 2011

The house across the street from where I live in Fox Run looks like a used car lot and at least one car, often more, is parked in the street. And, yeah, the snow plow has to go around.   more ›

Cranberry Dodges a Weather Bullet

Thanks to warmer temperatures, the township roads are slushy but not dangerous.

It could have been so much worse. On Monday, the National Weather Service predicted a mixture of snow and sleet  could produce ice accumulation up to a half-inch thick and cause power outages because of iced-over trees and wires. While Cranberry Township did get hit with freezing rain, warmer temperatures prevented the area from turning into an all-out ice rink. “I really do think that we dodged a weather bullet with this storm,” said Jason Daily, the township’s director of public works. “With how much rain we’ve gotten, it wouldn’t have taken much for that to freeze over. This could have been a totally different type of situation.” Still, the Seneca Valley School District canceled classes after initially announcing a two-hour delay. The …

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The Flakes are Flying Now

Cranberry residents can expect up to three inches of snow to fall this evening with another 1 to 2 inches overnight.

It’s heeee-errrre … The snow promised by the National Weather Service arrived right on schedule in Cranberry Township. The flakes started falling around 2 p.m. and quickly covered roads with no signs of slowing down. Meteorologist Brad Rehak said the community should see up to three inches of snow by this evening with an additional 1 to 2 inches falling overnight. More snow also in is the forecast throughout the day Wednesday with an 80 percent chance of precipitation. Rehak said another 1 to 2 inches of snow is possible. Jason Daily, Cranberry’s director of public works, also has been paying close attention to the weather forecast. His crews, he said, began planning for the snowfall early Monday afternoon. “They forecasted this pretty …

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