According to the council, a property located on Fruitwood St. was cited for violating the nuisance ordinance by having a portion of a pickup truck located on their property.

The property-owners, identified as the Robinson family, sent an email to the borough, seeking a waiver from the ordinance, stating that the vehicle was the subject of an ongoing restoration project. At the time the citation was issued, only the truck's undercarriage sat in the yard.

Councilman Bruce Carr suggested that a fenced barricade be required to prevent the vehicle from being seen, rather than requiring the truck's removal, "since they're obviously working on it (actively restoring it).

Council President Richard Mathews noted there was a two-car garage on the property, and asked why they couldn't use the garage for the restoration. Councilman Carr stated that the rest of the truck's body and parts were probably in there.

Borough Attorney Zachary Rice noted they proposed putting a tarp over the vehicle while restoration continues. The borough code does provide that, at the discretion of the council, "a tarp completely covering the nuisance, and secured against wind and weather, may be substituted for the aforesaid fence (where a chain-link fence could be required)," and further stated that such coverage could be approved as a temporary (time-restricted) measure.

Two of the councilmen initially supported a portable car garage in lieu of a tarp. Carr suggested a car garage would essentially be overkill, given the incomplete state of the truck at the present time. Also, potential safety risks posed by the exposed truck-frame to children were brought up as well.

In discussing placing a time-constraint on approving a temporary tarp cover, it was noted that the restoration would probably not be something that would likely be accomplished in the short-term. Councilwoman Jessica Kraft noted, in the e-mail submitted by the Robinson, that "they

may not necessarily have (a sufficient) budget set aside to do a restoration on the vehicle quickly."

Councilman Carr suggested a six-month renewable permit. However, Councilman Mathews said, "What we've got in this borough … there are probably enough vehicles in this borough, in it's 5.5 square miles, to create the biggest, or if not the closest, to the biggest junkyard in the state of Pennsylvania. I would be opposed to a permit that is renewable into perpetuity."

Mathews stated that the town manager has been actively working on these (nuisance) cases, and issued seven citations the same time that the one was cited. Six have complied, he stated, and "this one has excuses."

The council finally unanimously voted to allow the vehicle to be covered by a natural-colored tarp for a period up to a year.