Trib: Mt. Lebanon's 'Beast' will remain, but composting will not

The piles of molding leaves may be gone from Mt. Lebanon's Robb Hollow Park, but "The Beast" shall live on.

The Mt. Lebanon board of commissioners voted 3-1 Monday to formally discontinue composting of the park leaves that municipal crews pick up curbside each fall. Commissioner Joe DeIuliis was opposed. Commissioner Matt Kluck did not vote.

The new law prohibits composting in Robb Hollow Park after leaves have been shredded with the two-story-tall grinder -- called "The Beast" by its manufacturer -- even though the municipality hasn't composted in the park for about two years, said municipal Manager Steve Feller.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_748664.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Trib; Mt. Lebanon residents continue to battle 'The Beast'

For three-and-a-half years, neighbors of Mt. Lebanon's Robb Hollow Park have fought "The Beast."

About 30 of them attended a public hearing Tuesday night to decry the noise and exhaust from Mt. Lebanon's two-story grinder, called "The Beast" by its manufacturer, that is used to chop up branches, debris and leaves at the municipal golf course and at the composting yard in the heart of the park.

The Mt. Lebanon board of commissioners considered three bills on Tuesday that would significantly affect how the municipality could use The Beast during curbside leaf pickups each fall. And one commissioner is seeking a deal with a private contractor to do the work somewhere other than in Mt. Lebanon.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_746585.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Letter: Help Save Our Park

The following letter was submitted to us by Mary D'Angelo from Friends of Robb Hollow Park:

We urge you to attend a Public Hearing with Mt. Lebanon’s Commissioners

Tuesday, July 12, at 6:00 p.m.

Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, PA

Three proposed new laws regulating leaf waste composting within Mt. Lebanon Parks will be discussed and voted on by the Commissioners.

None of these laws will change leaf pick up.

None of these laws will mean that Mt. Lebanon will stop recycling leaf mulch.

None of the laws will result in higher taxes.

The new laws will restore the use of our parks to their original purpose: recreation.

The recycling dump in the Robb Hollow Park produces noxious odors and an unsafe environment that may affect the public’s health and will affect your property values.

It’s our Park and we have a right to breathe!