Sewickley officials renew animal control contract with Hoffman Kennels

Sewickley officials have awarded a new one-year contract for animal control services with Hoffman Kennels.

The first contract with the Delmont-based dog catcher was awarded in March 2022.

Hoffman Kennels was the only company to submit a proposal for the service.

Borough Manager Donna Kaib said the new deal runs through the end of next year, and pricing remains the same, at $200 per month. Calls are on an as-needed basis.

Council approved retaining Hoffman 7-0 on Sept. 12. Council members Todd Hamer and Anne Willoughby were absent.

Council President Cynthia Mullins said renewing the professional service didn’t require bidding, and she couldn’t recall any complaints about Hoffman’s service.

“In the event that we have an aggressive animal and there is a victim, this contract is in place in order to handle those situations,” Mullins said.

Police Chief Dave Mazza said he recommended the service renewal. His department called on Hoffman Kennels at various times throughout the past year.

“We haven’t used them often, but the couple times we did use them you realize that contract is well-spent money,” Mazza said. “If there is a prosecution needed for an animal law, they handle everything.

“Animal law is something police officers receive little to no training on. You get animal calls often enough, whether it be a dog bite or an aggressive dog or dog running lose. It is nice for the police to have a resource like that to reach out to. It ensures the situation is being handled properly, which benefits our residents.”

Calls to Hoffman Kennels seeking comment were not returned as of press time.

Upper Burrell officials approved a new two-year contract with the company earlier this year.

Among other municipalities that use Hoffman Kennels are Springdale Township, Lower Burrell, Frazer and East Deer.

Upcoming road closures

Council unanimously approved the following road closure requests:

• Division Street, from Broad Street to Locust Place, from noon-11 p.m. Sept. 30 for a Sons of Italy event.

Hegner Way off of Beaver Street will also be blocked for the event.

• Nevin Avenue, from Centennial Avenue to Hill Street, from 4-10 p.m. Sept. 16 for a block party.

• Shaw Alley, between Centennial Avenue and Hill Street, from noon-10 p.m. Sept. 23 for a block party.

• Peebles Street, between Thorn and Washington streets, from 5-9 p.m. Oct. 14 for a block party.

Paving to begin

This year’s street paving project is expected to begin by Friday, Sept. 22.

Borough engineer Mike Galet announced this year’s paving project was pushed back a week due to weather.

Motorists should expect traffic to be impacted at least the rest of the month.

Council awarded its paving project to Wampum-based Youngblood in May.

Roads to be repaired include:

• Grant Street, from Bank to Linden streets.

• Linden Place, from Academy Avenue to Grant Street.

• Centennial Avenue, from Grove Street to Blackburn Road.

• Thorn Street, from Logan to Peebles streets.