Children try out heavy equipment in Butler Twp.
BUTLER TWP — Children wearing plastic fire helmets were behind the wheel of the Butler Township Fire District 3 ladder truck Wednesday.
Then they climbed into the front seat of a township police vehicle.
The heavy equipment used by the street department to plow snow and patch potholes was also open for the kids to pretend to drive.
Children and adults learned about the township fire, police and street departments and anything else they wanted to know about services provided by the township during the first Butler Township Local Government Day, which was held during Local Government Week in Pennsylvania.
Jamie McGee brought her children Gunner, 2, and Paisley, 5, to check out the fleet of trucks and vehicles.
“I'm as big as the tire,” Paisley noted as she stood next to a wheel on the fire truck.
Linda Thompson's grandson, Bryor Cox, 5, pointed out that the portable generator on the fire truck was just like his dad's.
“The kids make it all worth it,” said Larry Christy, fire marshal.
Township Commissioner Sam Zurzolo was grilling hot dogs while Commissioners Fred Vero and James Lokhaiser Jr, and Dave Zarnick, president of the board of commissioners, welcomed visitors and encouraged them to look at everything the township has for residents.
“We're showcasing the township and showing the services we provide,” Zarnick said. “This is local government week. We opened our doors to let the public share their concerns with us. We're open all the time, but we made the extra effort today.”
Officials were available to tell residents about recreation and recycling programs.
The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau had a table with brochures highlighting the county's popular attractions and the Butler County Humane Society was on hand offering identification microchip implants and nail trimming.
The township is one of only two in the county to be named a “Banner Community” by the Allegheny League of Municipalities. Cranberry Township is the other one.
Community outreach, fiscal responsibility and adhering to sound governing principles are among the criteria municipalities are judged on to be considered banner communities.This is the third year the township achieved banner status, Zarnick said.Through the Local Government Academy of Pittsburg, the township will soon hire a summer intern.The township and Harmony are among the 24 municipalities to be approved for the academy's 2018 Municipal Intern Program, said Cheryl McNeill, assistant township manager. She said 56 municipalities applied for the intern program.The township and the academy will split the intern's wages, she said.In May the commissioners will appoint a senior at Butler High School to serve as a senior representative on the board of commissioners, Zarnick said.He said the senior representative program is designed to give students an opportunity to learn about local government operations and the township has been working with school district Superintendent Brian White on the program.“Dr. White has been very supportive of it,” Zarnick said.
