NORTH BOROUGHS

Urban farmers in Avalon and Bellevue may soon be permitted to raise chickens and bees if the local councils adopt the proposed amendment by the Joint Planning Commission that also includes Ben Avon.

“Ben Avon already has an ordinance that allows beekeeping, but prohibits chickens,” said John Busse, Ben Avon representative. The purpose of this commission is to “examine the problems we all share, discuss, and vote. Then it is sent to the municipalities to be read as any other ordinance,” he said. That will include three readings in the individual boroughs.

The ordinance proposal first came up when an Avalon resident approached council about raising chickens. For the next two years, the Joint Planning Commission studied community codes, including Pittsburgh’s, then made its recommendations.

The proposal would allow up to three chickens — no roosters — to be kept for noncommercial use at single family homes with a minimum of 2,000 square feet. The regulation also governs coop size, maintenance, odor control and waste disposal. Bee owners must also have a minimum of 2,000 square feet, with an additional 3,000 square feet for additional hives. Hive keepers must also be registered with the state Department of Agriculture and must comply with state regulations.

In a second proposal by the Joint Planning Commission of Avalon, Bellevue, and Ben Avon, the placement of medical marijuana dispensaries will be limited to Route 65 because of the required distances from schools and churches. This is a preventative ordinance, said Katherine Janocsko, solicitor of the joint planning commission.

SCOTT

Township commissioners have approved $6,237 in sanitary sewer repairs by Stefanik’s Next Generation Contracting Co. Inc. and awarded low bidder Garvin Beitko Engineering Inc. the contract to conduct engineering investigations on the Idlewood Bridge. The anticipated cost will be $4,479.

Also at its June 27 meeting, the board approved a request from Glendale Hose Company No. 1 for its $67,000 annual allotment for payment on the 2016 pumper.

JEFFERSON HILLS

Beginning in 2018, volunteers on borough boards and commissions will be able to rent for free a park shelter or pavilion, or the community center, a few times, with the exact number of times based on their length of term.

“It’s a way to say thankyou,” council member Tracey Khalil said of volunteers’ donated services. Park pavilions will require a security deposit, which will be returned if the facility is left in good condition. The Gill Hall Park Community Center will require payment of a non-reimbursable cleaning fee. Requests must be submitted at least three months in advance.