One community’s persistence last week will hopefully inspire another to follow its lead.

A neighborhood in Saxonburg recently complained that a Dollar General store on West Main Street had not maintained its landscaping, and the borough sent notices of violation to the store.

Borough manager Mary Papik wrote to Dollar General’s headquarters last month to notify it that the store was not in compliance with a landscaping plan approved by council five years ago.

Last week, a crew whacked weeds, removed dead plantings, trimmed trees, laid down mulch and planted new ground cover around the store. Papik said she was surprised that a Dollar General consultant was “genuinely interested” in remedying the situation.

It’s inspiring to witness a community raising its voice and, as a result, getting a problem solved.

We hope Bradys Bend Township residents take a note out of Saxonburg’s playbook.

On Monday, residents of that Armstrong County township attended a meeting to vent about a boil water advisory that has been in effect in parts of the township since June 18. This stems from Bradys Bend Township Water and Sewer Authority “experiencing a breakdown in treatment, potentially allowing microbial pathogens to pass through and on to customers,” according to DEP Spokesman Tom Decker. Also, a reservoir that holds filtered water used by the public was found to be dilapidated during a DEP check-up.

The agency found breaches in the reservoir’s structure and evidence of animal feces.

Resident Shelly Rea hit the nail on the head: “I’m paying $90 a month for water I can’t drink. If our reservoir has not been kept up, where is all our money going to?”

We hope residents’ questions were answered at Monday’s meeting, and more information will be provided at future sessions.

Residents and local leaders should continue to put pressure on the authority and demand transparency. Resident Jennifer Herr, who has organized affected community members, said many residents didn’t hear about the water boil advisory until two days after it took effect, although public notifications are required 24 hours in advance.

She also said the authority has downplayed the water problems, and was told bad readings could be the result of heavy rainfall. However, the DEP responded that turbidity in the water could be a sign that the filtration system isn’t working properly, rather than evidence of problems caused by downpours.

In the meantime, we’re pleased to see neighboring communities lending a hand, from donated bottled water to local officials offering assistance.

But ultimately, this is a problem the authority needs to solve. The DEP has issued an emergency permit to allow Petroleum Valley and Bradys Bend to further connect their systems to get water back to the rest of Bradys Bend, but systemic issues are preventing Petroleum Valley from providing water.

So, many Bradys Bend residents currently do not have drinkable water. Sheila Markel, township secretary, said they are annoyed at having to boil water and “concerned for their health.”

Residents deserve answers and solutions. They should keep their voices raised until they get both.