Oakmont: Name that goat!

It’s time for Oakmont residents to name that goat.

March 7 is the due date for Mia, one of the animals brought to graze in the borough during the summer as an environmentally friendly way to clear unwanted vegetation along the Allegheny River.

Until 4:30 p.m. that day, ideas for what to call her offspring can be submitted to frontdesk@oakmontborough.com, with Name That Goat in the subject line.

Some suggestions have come in already, and assistant borough manager Phyllis Anderson, who organized the community activity, mentioned a favorite so far.

“Oakmont is named for the trees, and one of the trees in the borough is a pin oak,” she said. “And someone wanted to name the goat Pinocchio.” Or perhaps that should be spelled “Pinoakio.” Either way, “That is so cute.”

The goal is for creative minds to have some fun while anticipating the return of the grazers for 2023.

If you’re looking for a name that has something to do with the scientific or astrological nomenclature for goats, Monica Shields already did so with her company, Capricious LLC, which supplies the animals for Oakmont. The domestic species is Capra hircus, and of course, Capricorn is symbolized by the mythical half-fish sea goat.

Let’s see: hircus. “Circus”? That would be a bit of a stretch.

Baby goats are called kids, and males are billies. “Billy the Kid”? Seems too obvious.

Females are nannies. “Fran Drescher”? You’d have to be a big fan of ’90s sitcoms.

As described by Shields to Anderson, Mia is a Nubian goat, known for her large size and distinct markings. Her ears are long and droopy, and her nose is of a Roman style. Oh, and her temperament is sociable, outgoing and very, very vocal.

So … “Foghorn Goathorn”?

Then there are possible variations on GOAT, as in Greatest of All Time. But please, no “Tom Brady.”

While borough staff members decide what they like best and send it along to Capricious, they continue to work on implementing sustainability efforts on behalf of Oakdale and beyond.

For example, the infrastructure is in place for a new station for electric vehicles in the Riverside Park lot off Third Street. Once the charging units are installed, EV drivers can use the service by setting up an account for payments, similar to the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s E-ZPass system.

The borough also is installing a permanent glass recycling bin, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Resources Council, in mid-March, and has secured an electric-powered truck for the street department fleet.