A Summit Hill couple pleaded for help from Summit Hill Borough Council after a zoning officer said they had to get rid of fowl they are keeping in their yard.

Craig and Kain Strohl of North Oak Street said they keep poultry for fresh eggs, pest control, stress relief and education for their children.

The zoning officer had told them the animals are not permitted in their zoned area of Summit Hill.

He said an article in the Times News in 2021 said poultry was permitted in Summit Hill but not roosters.

At that time, a zoning officer ruled that chickens were legal if they weren’t roaming free and were in clean cages. That zoning officer said roosters were not allowed.

A borough council member said after the meeting that apparently the birds are not permitted in certain zoned areas.

Craig Strohl said there are other residents with poultry. “We are the only ones being told to remove them,” he said.

He added, “They have brought immense joy and peace to our home.”

He didn’t clarify to the council what types of poultry he had.

He asked for “reconsideration” of the borough, but the council indicated it was a zoning matter. If the zoning officer rules against the Strohls, they will have to apply for a zoning variance if they want to keep the birds.

Craig Strohl said he was in the military for 28 years and sustained a traumatic brain injury. “The chickens and poultry are good therapy,” he said. “They’re a huge part of my life and a huge part of my recovery.”

Other matters

Council Vice President Joe Weber praised the Recreation Commission for its Fourth of July festivities. He publicly thanked everyone on the commission and the “handful of council people” who helped at the event.

“It was fabulous,” he said. “It was much, much better than I could have ever hoped for. It just shows what a strong community can do pulling something like that off.”

The council was informed that the contract for the borough’s police officers with the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) expires at the end of this year.

Council member Sherri Buzik said the Diligent Fire Company has been posting its events on Facebook and urged borough residents to follow them. Upcoming is a CPR class for firefighters on Saturday, and the fire company’s annual golf tournament on July 25.

She urged residents to stop by the firehouse on a Monday or Thursday evening when firefighters are having training.

The council set a permit fee of $40 for residents who need dumpsters. The permit is good for only 14 days and after that must be renewed.

The dumpsters are permitted on the streets only between May 1 and Oct. 31, except in the case of emergency or urgent situations.

A resident asked to purchase a vacant borough lot on West Vernon Street,

The borough’s solicitor, Robert Frycklund, said if the value of the site is more than $6,000, it can only be sold via public bids.

He said the property would have to be appraised before it could be sold.

Buzik indicated opposition to the sale, noting that the parcel is important for borough vehicles to turn around on the lot since it is a dead-end location.