Pitcairn Council is still considering the fate of the borough-owned cable and Internet services.
After meeting with consultants over the past couple of weeks, council has yet to make a motion to resolve the issue.
Council Vice President John Prucnal said during Tuesday's meeting that cable is a dying industry and Internet service is where the money lies. The problem: There are just more than 100 Pitcairn residents who have Internet service through the borough. About 440 residents have cable service through the borough.
Verizon also offers service to borough households.
Upgrading the borough's equipment to provide faster Internet service would cost $20,000 plus equipment, Pruncal said.
“I feel like it's bad money after bad money, and we're wasting our time,” he said.
“The field keeps changing and it's not being any more hospitable to us,” council President Jack Bova said.
He said council has tried to hear input from residents and it no longer makes sense to spend “a ridiculous amount of time with the cable system.”
“I'm not sure there's much more we can learn about (options for services going forward),” Bova said.
Prucnal said there is a possibility that the borough will discuss extending current services on a month-to-month basis at the conclusion of the current contract for the cable and Internet services, at the end of May; otherwise, Pitcairn would be locked into another two-year contract.
“(Making a decision) is just very frustrating because there is an emotional tie to this system, (council) will work on it and maybe we'll finally have a motion,” Prucnal said.
There are about 1,500 households in Pitcairn.
Council also:
• Moved its May 9 meeting from 7 to 7:30 p.m.
• Accepted the resignation of part-time police Officer Shane Gilchrist.
• Approved a Pitcairn EMS request for about $2,880 from the Public Safety Fee Fund to buy protective equipment.
• Heard resident Adam Burgess pledge to donate $200 monthly, totaling $2,400 annually, to the police department.
Samson X Horne is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7845 or shorne@tribweb.com.
