Mayor DeMarco asks council to sign onto request for environmental‑justice hearings on Edgar Thompson Works permits

Mayor DeMarco asked the Borough Council of Forest Hills to sign a letter, on behalf of neighboring communities, asking the county health department to hold environmental‑justice hearings and provide technical assistance for community comment on permits related to the Edgar Thompson Works.

"We have been asked by our neighboring communities in Bradock and North Bradock to sign on to a letter requesting that the County Health Department hold environmental justice hearings and proceedings related to each of the permits requested for the new [Edgar Thompson Works]," DeMarco said, asking council members to speak up only if they objected to his signing the request on the borough's behalf.

The mayor said the additional hearings would allow technical assistance for community comments under the state's environmental‑justice rules and stressed the request came from neighboring communities. He also described related local projects — a business directory and web page for permitting and zoning information — that the borough plans to publish by mid‑July to help residents and business owners access permitting guidance.

Council did not take a formal recorded vote on the letter at the meeting; DeMarco asked members to raise objections if any, and said he would sign the letter unless told otherwise. The council proceeded with routine business after the mayor's report.

What happens next: DeMarco said he would sign the letter on behalf of the borough unless a council member objects; the transcript records no objection during the meeting. The county health department's response and whether additional hearings will be scheduled were not discussed at the meeting.