An Allegheny County judge overturned a Monroeville council decision to block a Hindu temple's plans to expand on its property, despite municipal officials' fears that the construction could boost the risk of landslides.

Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Joseph James approved applications Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple submitted to the municipality seeking permission to expand temple facilities on its Abers Creek Road property, according to a decision released Wednesday.

Temple attorney Tom Ayoob filed an appeal because Monroeville council voted 3-2 in November to reject the applications.

Municipal Manager Tim Little wrote in a letter that council rejected the application because the proposed development is located in the general area of landslide prone soils and relatively steep slopes.

Little and municipal Solicitor Bruce Dice could not be reached for comment.

The temple was seeking permission for a cut-and-fill operation of 24,800 cubic yards of earth to expand. It also requested special permission to build on a slope.

During public meetings, residents from nearby Turnpike Gardens said they feared the plans would cause landslides. Ayoob wrote in the appeal that council favored this speculative and unfounded lay testimony over that of experts from the temple as well as municipal engineers who had said that the project would not violate zoning restrictions as long as engineers used retaining walls and other safety measures outlined in their applications.

Denying the two applications prevented temple leaders from moving forward with plans to construct a 13,140-square-foot building, a 1,466-square-foot addition to the existing building and a 264-square-foot connecting wing along with four meditation gazebos, even though council approved a site plan in a separate vote.

Gideon Bradshaw is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.

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Judge overturns ban by Monroeville council on temple expansion

The other day I passed through regular "Old" trail going up and the DENR "New" trail going down Pico de Loro on a hike with Agot Isidro - her second on the mountain (see Hiking matters #179 for the first one). It was a very nice trek; we started trekking just before 0800H and 0945H we were at the summit. Agot finally went up the 'Monolith'. By 1230H we were having lunch in Lolo Claro's in Maragondon. It was very nice to be back in Pico after one and a half years!

Since I've blogged extensively about the mountain, let me focus on my preliminary opinions about the New Trail. I'm sure the DENR Protected Area Management Board has its reasons for making a new trail and I will not wade into the debate on whether it was necessary to make a new trail in the first place.

The trail begins from the DENR itself. From the parking area following the trail on the right that leads to a small cement bridge, some gazebos, and a brook. The trail starts from the brook. Initially the forests are have a spacious feel, akin to the lower reaches of Manabu Peak.

As goes higher, however, it feels like Mt. Maculot's New Trail. It is narrow, its surface undifferentiated from the rest of the ground, its environs lacking the depth of the forests in the Old Trail. Because it is still new, there are a lot of loose roots and ground vines that may cause you to trip.

After a mostly continuous ascent, It reaches a height of 596 meters (1413'7.57" N, 12030'9.62" E) on a peak that offers a view of Mt. Marami and the Maragondon Range. At this point the trail is mostly bamboo; a bit further from the viewpoint you can see the summit area ahead. However, you have to make a descent into a junction that is 15 minutes away from the campsite, which is in turn 15 minutes before the summit.

In Batulao, I quickly fell in love with the New Trail when it opened way back in 2009. In Pico de Loro, however, it's a different story. Personally, I still like the Old Trail more because I generally like old trails: they have a character molded through time and you can see it in the smoothness of the roots and the branches, the logics of the trail itself, and its peaceful co-existence with the forest. On the other hand the New Trail offers a faster, more straightforward ascent or descent - though if you have a fast pace the difference is marginal.

Time will tell what will happen to the New Trail -and the Old. At the moment the policies have not yet been clarified. Already, there are signs of trash in the New Trail and I do hope that the DENR, having created it, will be proactive in maintaining its cleanliness - but of course this also largely depends on the hikers themselves.

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Hiking matters #448: The New DENR Trail up Pico de Loro

Hanover Mayor Chris Kauffman pronounces Feb. 7 through 14 as 2015 Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week with Clint and Amy Smith and their son, Treynor. The Smiths said it is also a special week because Treynors 4th birthday is Feb. 14. (Sun staff photo by Aaron Brom)

The Hanover City Council heard of a potential bridge wood re-purposing project where old boards could be reused into a new bandshell.

The council also heard an update regarding a funding shortfall for the Hennepin County Rd. 19 trail project, and heard from its state representative with a legislative update.

BRIDGE WOOD

City councilor Jim Zajicek updated the council about a park board discussion regarding using wood from the Historic Bridge to make a new bandshell, a long sought-after city project.

With that much wood there would be enough for two gazebos, but well have to wait. This is all preliminary, Zajicek said.

He said because the old wood was treated, the pollution control agency has requirements on documenting where the wood goes.

It was clarified that the wood is Douglas fir.

(The wood) should be beautiful, Zajicek said.

The historic bridge repair project is scheduled for this summer. Zajicek said all of the more than 200 boards on the bridge would be replaced.

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Whats the re-purpose? Old wood for new bandshell

Lower Nazareth leaders have a softer message than most for the authorities behind the proposed PennEast pipeline: Just steer clear of our school and as many homes as possible.

The township's Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday night to send a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that won't state any direct support or opposition to the project.

But they do have some requests concerning the line, which would carry 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day from the Wilkes-Barre area through the Lehigh Valley to a distribution terminal outside Trenton, N.J.

Supervisors want the pipeline's route to be set as far away from Lower Nazareth Elementary School and residences as possible and be directed instead toward the township's undeveloped farmland.

"So as few residents as possible will be inconvenienced," board Chairman James Pennington said.

The letter also will request that Lower Nazareth not be considered as a possible location for the pipeline's compressor station and to have as few, if any, above-ground valves as possible.

In addition, Township Manager Timm Tenges said it's likely the letter will include a request for the township to receive some sort of financial benefit, as well as an option for residents and local businesses to tap into the line.

Supervisor Robert Kucsan said if residents have particular concerns with the path of the pipeline, they should contact officials to see if adjustments can be made. At least, that's what he did.

"If the pipeline would have gone in the way it was [initially drafted], they would probably knock down two of my gazebos and have to take out my pool," he said.

Kucsan said he discussed the issues with project representatives and received a revised route map that accommodated his request.

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Lower Nazareth to feds: Keep PennEast pipeline away from our homes, school

The Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC), a subsidiary of Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), is calling for interested bidders to bid for the 25-year lease and development of the six-hectare Poro Point Lighthouse in San Fernando, La Union.

"This is a good opportunity to take advantage of the robust growth in the region that reported a strong 7.7 percent expansion in 2013," BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano Casanova said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The improvements in infrastructure, specifically a better road network, will further boost growth in tourism," he said.

The minimum floor price is set at P5.28 million for the annual lease of the property, subject to a 10-percent increase on the third year and every two years thereafter.

The first year of the lease term will be rent-free.

The 25-year lease term will be renewable for another 25 years, subject to the approval of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), according to the terms of reference.

The Poro Point Lighthouse and its reservation is under the jurisdiction of PCG.

Developments to be introduced in the property shall be limited to tourism-leisure and entertainment related facilities such as: hotels, condotel facilities, cliff-walks with view decks, landscape areas, parks, playgrounds, gardens, function halls, commercial stores, cafes, restaurants, amphitheaters, pavilions, picnic areas, and gazebos.

It also includes the repair and rehabilitation of the modern lighthouse, restoration of the old Spanish lighthouse, and the shotgun house "into its original aesthetic beauty to serve as tourist attractions within the property."

A pre-bid conference will be held on Feb. 12 where the property, the terms of reference and inquiries from interested bidders will be discussed.

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Poro Point Management Corp. invites bids for Poro Point Lighthouse lease

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Quality gazebos designed to last - Video

Kankakee Returning Dave Letterman #39;s Gag Gift Gazebos
More than 15 years after David Letterman mockingly sent Kankakee two gazebos so the town could promote itself after being named the worst metropolitan area i...

By: CBS Chicago

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Kankakee Returning Dave Letterman's Gag Gift Gazebos - Video

Kankakee Students Sending Getting Even With David Letterman Over Gag Gazebos
It took 16 years, but the residents of Kankakee finally get even with David Letterman. Subscribe Here: http://www.youtube.com/user/cbschicago Official Site: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/...

By: CBS Chicago

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Kankakee Students Sending Getting Even With David Letterman Over Gag Gazebos - Video

In this Feb. 3, 2015 photo, from left, Beth Peeler, 16, teacher Bill Curtin and Magdalena Garcia, 17, from Kankakee High School pose at a gazebo in Kankakee, Ill., before its planned demolition. In 1999, after Places Rated Almanac called Kankakee the worst metropolitan area to live in the U.S. and Canada, talk-show host David Letterman poked fun with a Top 10 list and sent the town two gazebos to spruce things up. Now students are dismantling the gazebos and making a commemorative rocking chair out of the wood for Letterman's retirement. (AP Photo/Chicago Tribune, Zbigniew Bzdak)

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) - High school students in a city that David Letterman lampooned as an awful place to live are plotting some tongue-in-cheek revenge, more than 15 years later.

The late night TV talk show host piled on in 1999 after Places Rated Almanac called Kankakee and its surrounding area in northern Illinois the worst metropolitan area to live in the U.S. and Canada. One of his famous Top 10 lists suggested area slogans, including "We put the 'Ill' in Illinois," and "You'll come for our payphone - you'll stay because your car's been stolen."

To spruce things up, Letterman sent Kankakee two gazebos, which the students plan to turn into a rocking chair to commemorate Letterman's upcoming retirement.

"I think we know that Dave likes a good joke," Barbara Wells, the area's board of education president, told the (Kankakee) Daily Journal. "So, I thought he'd like this. And I like seeing the kids get so involved. This will be one class they tell their kids and grandchildren about."

A spokeswoman for CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" said crews plan to film the project next month and to air the footage on the show.

Removing them has become a two-semester project. Students have demolished one gazebo next to an old train depot and hope to do the same with the other in a nearby park. Much of the wood has rotted, though students saved wood for building the chair.

Although residents were irked by Kankakee's lowly ranking and the buzz it got, many grew to appreciate the gazebos. Couples got married in the white, wooden structures, and some residents are unhappy with their removal.

While working on the project, the students are also raising money for new gazebos, hoping it'll help show how their community about 50 miles south of Chicago turned a national embarrassment into a positive message.

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Illinois city mocked by Letterman in '99 plots cold revenge

KANKAKEE, Ill. (AP) High school students in a city that David Letterman lampooned as an awful place to live are plotting some tongue-in-cheek revenge, more than 15 years later.

The late night TV talk show host piled on in 1999 after Places Rated Almanac called Kankakee and its surrounding area in northern Illinois the worst metropolitan area to live in the U.S. and Canada. One of his famous Top 10 lists suggested area slogans, including "We put the 'Ill' in Illinois," and "You'll come for our payphone you'll stay because your car's been stolen."

To spruce things up, Letterman sent Kankakee two gazebos, which the students plan to turn into a rocking chair to commemorate Letterman's upcoming retirement.

"I think we know that Dave likes a good joke," Barbara Wells, the area's board of education president, told the (Kankakee) Daily Journal. "So, I thought he'd like this. And I like seeing the kids get so involved. This will be one class they tell their kids and grandchildren about."

A spokeswoman for CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" said crews plan to film the project next month and to air the footage on the show.

Removing them has become a two-semester project. Students have demolished one gazebo next to an old train depot and hope to do the same with the other in a nearby park. Much of the wood has rotted, though students saved wood for building the chair.

Although residents were irked by Kankakee's lowly ranking and the buzz it got, many grew to appreciate the gazebos. Couples got married in the white, wooden structures, and some residents are unhappy with their removal.

While working on the project, the students are also raising money for new gazebos, hoping it'll help show how their community about 50 miles south of Chicago turned a national embarrassment into a positive message.

The project's organizers admit that part of their motivation was to bring renewed attention to the improvements the city has made since Letterman's gag.

Junior Sam Foster told the newspaper he's enjoying the class.

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Illinois town mocked by Letterman in '99 plots cold revenge