Brookline Residents Hope For Quick Return Of Cannon Damaged By PAT Bus
BROOKLINE (KDKA) -- Brookline residents say a community fixture damaged in a Port Authority bus crash Saturday is already missed.
When a Port Authority bus went out of control Saturday on Brookline Boulevard, it crashed into a wrought-iron fence that surrounded a World War I cannon and dragged it several feet.
The cannon was a fixture in Brookline for 80 years as part of a monument to all veterans. Now, it's gone and already being missed.
"It's an empty feeling, not seeing the cannon," Brookline resident Phillip Semplice said. "Kids play on it. It's kind of sad to not see it."
After it was removed from the window of the bus, the cannon was taken away by McGann and Chester.
The towing company is keeping the damaged weapon in an impound lot.
The big question – when will the cannon be returned to the memorial park where it belongs?
Nathan Mallory with the Brookline Chamber of Commerce says getting it back will take negotiations between several entities.
"As it goes, the Port Authority is the county, and the city owns the property. The federal government owns the cannon. At the end of the day, we're not giving up. We'll figure it out," Mallory said.
Mallory could not stress the importance of returning the cannon because of its importance to the community.
"I've seen graduations pictures taken there. I've seen wedding proposals there," he said. "I've seen family memorials. The veterans' parade starts there."
"We all hope it comes back," resident Tony Pascale said. "It's been in the community since, what, 1934. Everybody knows it."
The Brookline Chamber of Commerce is having a meeting Monday night to come up with a plan to get the cannon back. In the meantime, the Port Authority is still investigating the cause of the crash.
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