Borough of Bell Acres - Sewickley Public Library

Fire, Ambulance, Police – 911
Non Emergency – (412) 741-3010

History
On January 28, 1854 by decree of Court, the Township of Sewickley (not to be confused with Sewickley Borough) was created from a section of Ohio Township. The surface of the township was exceedingly hilly, heavily wooded and the scenery was quite wild and beautiful. The first settler of the township was believed to be Frederick Merriman who came here around 1808. He bought 300 acres for a gun, an iron kettle and a sled. A Methodist preacher. Thomas McClelland come around 1811, he held services in his home. Wild game was abundant and forests were cleared for farmland. As the community grew, three schools were built. Some coal was mined but not exten¬sively. As railroads in the area expanded, ties were needed and many were cut from the wooded sections on Turkeyfoot and Sevin Roads by the Sevin’s lumber company. Around 1890 oil and gas were discovered and in a short time wells dotted the countryside. As the township was settled and the population grew, the citizens decided they needed a new form of government. On March 14, 1960, again by decree of the Courts, Sewickley Township officially became the Borough of Bell Acres.

The Borough has sustained slow moderate growth with a population of 443 people in 1870 to approximately 1350 at present. The Borough contains 5.5 square miles with most of this comprised of single family homes.

Address and Contact Information
1153 Camp Meeting Rd, Sewickley, PA 15143
Office hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm
Phone: 412-741-5448
Fax: 412-741-6302

Government

Borough Council
Borough Council meetings are held at 7:00pm on the second Monday of each month at the Big Sewickley Creek Fire Hall 1850 Big Sewickley Creek Road.

Appointed Boards / Commissions
The following meetings are held at the Bell Acres Borough Building located at 1153 Camp Meeting Road.
Planning Commission – 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm
Municipal Authority – 1st Monday of each month at 7:00pm
Civil Service Commission – Meets as needed
Zoning Hearing Board – Meets as needed

BOROUGH DEPARTMENTS

Fire Department
Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department
1850 Big Sewickley Creek Road
Bell Acres, PA 15143
(724) 266-6151

Police Department
Bell Acres Police Department
1153 Campmeeting Road
Sewickley, PA 15143-8325
Non-emergency (412) 741-3010

Public Works
(412) 741-1272

Water Department
Edgeworth Water Authority – (412) 741-5100

Waste Collection
Valley Waste Services
261 Wallace Run Road
Beaver Falls, PA 15010
Phone: (724) 843-9373

POINTS OF INTEREST
Big Sewickley Creek Park
Sewickley Heights Golf Club

PARKS AND RECREATION
Bell Acres Municipal Park is located at the corner of Big Sewickley Creek Road and Hitzel Hill Road. Hours for this park are sunrise to sunset.
This is a traditional borough park with:

2 basketball courts
Sand volley ball court
3 age centered play areas with swings and slides
Large asphalt area for children to ride bikes and roller blades
Shelter with picnic tables (This is used on a first come basis)

Bell Acres Nature Park located at the corner of Turkeyfoot Rood and Sevin Road. This is a non traditional borough pork with over 200 acres which can be used for biking, bird watching, etc. Hours for this park are sunrise to sunset. There ore no facilities located at this pork.

This park also contains the Bell Acres Nature Trail. This trail is 3/4 of a mile long and ends at the Merriman House Foundation. The Merriman Family is believed to be the first settlers in the area.

Bell Acres was very fortunate to have all of this land donated by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. This land will remain park land in perpetuity.