Vandergrift’s 3-person chicken committee disbands
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Vandergrift’s chicken committee, formed last August by officials proposing changes to the borough’s fowl ordinance, has disbanded.
A proposed chicken ordinance was moving forward last September, with plans to amend an ordinance regulating the ownership of backyard chickens in the borough.
The three-person chicken committee had included Councilwoman Christine Wilson, former Councilwoman Karen McClarnon and former Councilman Casimer Maszgay. McClarnon and Maszgay since have resigned from council.
“There isn’t a chicken committee,” Wilson said. If chickens become a problem, “then we will address it, but we haven’t had any complaints.”
Borough Secretary Steve DelleDonne said Thursday, March 31 that nothing related to chickens has been brought before council this year. He described the chicken ordinance issue as “stalled.”
A proposed draft of a new chicken ordinance was expected to be presented at the Oct. 4 council meeting, but that never occurred.
Borough Solicitor Larry Loperfito was not immediately available for comment, and requests for comment from other attorneys at Loperfito’s office were not returned.
Loperfito previously said the decades-old ordinance addresses concerns such a noisy rooster crowing.
“The only thing we have in place right now is an old ordinance for nuisance fowl,” Loperfito had said.
Vandergrift resident Chloe Kruse keeps six hens in her fenced-in backyard. She was concerned council was going to add too many additional rules concerning keeping chickens as pets.
“Nothing has been brought up about amending what is in the codes. I’m not bothered by that because they were trying to add more regulations,” Kruse said.
Kruse said she knows of several Vandergrift families who keep chickens. Fellow resident and chicken-keeper Tim Gourley agreed, adding that more regulations to the chicken ordinance is unnecessary. He has five pet chickens.
“I think council was trying to put regulations on how many, how to keep them and applying some sort of fee, and I was totally against that,” Kruse said. “It could hinder people having chickens. Or it could encourage people to just be responsible but free to do what they want in their backyard.”
Gourley addressed council during meetings last year touting the benefits of backyard chickens and assisted the chicken committee.
“My involvement with the proposed ordinance was to try and make it as fair as possible,” Gourley said. “I’m not too upset it stalled out.”
Gourley said he has fielded questions from several borough residents who were interested in keeping chickens.
“They are our kids’ pets, and we definitely enjoy the eggs,” he said. “It’s a good teaching tool.”