Fairchance aims to ban vandals from playground
FAIRCHANCE – The borough council intends to adopt an ordinance banning people from the playground for vandalism and lewd behavior after several disrespectful acts were committed in recent months. Council Vice President Dora Miller said it would be up to the borough’s police department to enforce the ordinance, if passed.
Councilman Neal Christopher raised a question about how long violators will be banned from the equipment.
“Are we going to ban these people for life?” Christopher asked.
Miller responded, “Well, it depends on how bad they are, Neal. We had some pretty bad actors up there.”
Christopher said at the meeting it was the first time he saw the ordinance, and he’s not voting on something he did not yet review.
The council vote at the regular meeting Wednesday was to advertise for the council’s intent to adopt the ordinance. Miller explained that changes can be submitted at the next council meeting after everyone had a chance to review it.
“I just see a kid getting suspended from there when it can be alleviated another way,” Christopher said.
Councilman Ray Eicher agreed that it might prevent a problem later when it comes to the council deciding the fate of individuals.
He said there are not many problems at the playground, but incidents Miller has witnessed are pretty bad.
“There’s some pretty bad things going on and those people need punished somehow,” said Eicher.
Since spring, council members and residents have said they witnessed lewd sexual acts in the dugouts and fights on the playground.
As a result, the council requested additional police monitoring of the site.
Miller said under the ordinance, those acts, along with defacing property, vandalism and profanity, will be grounds for banning someone from the playground.
“I think that’s really what started it, (because of) some of the things that happened there,” Eicher said. “The dugouts are popular, the pavilions are popular.”
In other business, the council met with a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) official about flooding on East Main Street.
At the September council meeting, two East Main Street residents approached the council about their flooding problems.
Council said, according to the DEP official, when Hurricane Agnes hit the area in 1972, the current of the stream changed. The official said changing the flow of the creek will prevent flooding and referred the council to funding sources.
The council also conducted the following business:
– Announced Onyx Waste Services has increased the borough’s garbage tonnage disposed in the landfill by $1.20, the second increase in two years, causing the borough pay out $44.50 per ton of trash. Council President Herb Myers said the borough will absorb that cost and it will not be reflected onto residents’ garbage bills.
– Accepted an agreement with Atlantic Broadband, the borough’s cable company. As a result of negotiations, the company will offer residents of the borough 65 and over a 5 percent monthly discount on their cable bills.
– Announced the Halloween parade will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30, and trick-or-treat will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on the same day.
– Donated $200 to the Exchange Club for Halloween activities.
– Continued the council meeting to Thursday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. for budget talks.