Dear residents,

The fire department’s new state of the art Pierce pumper truck has arrived. This $457,000 truck was paid for entirely through the efforts of our fund raisers. The pumper is in full operation at this time.

Castle Shannon was very lucky not to have suffered the damage that many other communities did during the flooding on Sept. 17. The Port Authority’s work in widening the creek along the “T” line kept the water from coming over the banks of the creek which helped tremendously in keeping the flood waters down. All of our community’s resources were used on that day including the police, public works, MRTSA, building and code official, and other uniformed personnel. We were able to attend to all of the calls received. Homes with basements that had flooding over a few feet high where the water was coming close to electrical panels were given priority. We were glad to help where we could to move water by pumping and by good old-fashioned elbow grease. We are fortunate to have had no severe incidents as a result of the floods and we thank everyone for their efforts in helping others on that day.

Our new Port Authority parking lot has grown over the past several months. With gas prices as they are, our convenient parking lot helps those who ride the “T” everyday save money. We offer a $30 monthly pass to those that use the lot and we feel the savings are a benefit to our patrons that travel to downtown Pittsburgh. At the same time they are supporting our fire department.

There are still a few dates available this coming year for hall rentals. If you plan to have a family function, company party or wedding, please consider renting one of our two halls. If you would like more information, please call our business office at 412- 884-7913.

In closing, I would like to thank all of those who have supported the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fire Department during all areas of our fundraising efforts including everyone who attended our carnival and purchased tickets for the car and truck raffle. Our weekly Bingo offers a lot for those who enjoy a well-run Bingo. This is an important fundraiser for our department. We are the best Bingo in the area – giving away tempting amounts of cash prizes and offering smoking and non-smoking areas. Come and join us every Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

The Sportsmen’s Cash Bash is another successful event that pulls in large crowds with many money prizes, good eats, and sports related raffles. If not for all of those that support us during our fund raisers we would not be able to provide the excellent fire service that we are known and respected for.

Thank you.