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Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Skateboard Ban on Streets Only
Borough Council in Tatamy voted 5-2 to ban skateboarding on streets, but did not ban the activity on sidewalks (read the article here).
2) You'll be hard pressed to find many sidewalks (or any built this century) in Tatamy.
3) I wouldn't think this was targeting if they we're banning bicycles, roller blades, and skateboards.
So let me get this straight, the only "In Town" alternative is now breaking the law - a $300 fine? That's genius.
Sounds to me like Tatamy is trolling for fines ($300 a pop) to recoup the $3500 they've donated to Nazareth's great skate park. The "safty angle", as the police chief puts it, sounds pretty lucrative.
I'm sure we'll be hearing from the local Tatamy business owners, again, real soon.
stilfx, i agree with alot of what you said, i am still dumbfounded by this whole thing. I had a 103 fever monday night and couldnt go to the council meeting, but i am not going to let this rest. A couple of things to add:
1)Tatamy does have sidewalks in the part of the town where the Mayor lives, so skateboarders(HINT) should know that.
2) Sidewalks are LESS SAFE to skate on that streets.Perhaps the mayor would rather have lawsuits becasue of nonconforming sidewalks casuing accidents on skateboards. The borough does not enforce the laws to keep them usable( take a look 2 houses down from the mayor)
3) I dont see how bikes or even jogging are less dangerous than skateboards, really i dont think he can win that argument. Perhps I can google some facts.
3) Im not sure if the businees owners care unless they live in town and have sklateboarding kids.
4) I am more convinced that the mayor is being pressured by someone(s) that dont like skateboards, or he has just gone completely wacky
5) I wonder how we can organize to have a well thought out challenge to this law. I havent compared who won the election to who voted for and against it, but i see we have alot of republicans, which tend to be less likely to pass a law because it feels good to them.
6) My kids, who dont own skateboards yet, cant beleive this law either and see the mayor around alot, they are going to RESPECTFULLY tell him that this is a silly law, my 13 year old said its kinda like that law in Arkansas that says your not allowed to shower naked.
In response to Tatamite's comment, I'm one of those "newly elected" council members who was opposed to this goofy law when it was passed - and would have voted "no".
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well as other issues in town.
Hi Chris, the truth of the matter is that even to this day, I really dont understand why they bothered to pass this law. Was the police chief bored? Did they(mayor and the police chief) get pressure from a business or possibly the Masons at the Whitefield house? I would be willing to bet that the true intention of the mayor and the police chief was anything other than safety. I got mad at it in the beginnning, but then just said "whatever"... not worth my energy.
I have my house for sale, and am moving to either lower, upper, bushkill or naz borough. I have found Tatamy to be friendly, quaint, and safe. ANd it seems that i have even made a 3 year stint living here without getting a ticket for a rolling stop! The reason for the move is not really related to anything to do with Tatamy, just want a bigger house, and some people my age.
A couple of comments, how can the kids use the sidewalks if they are in such bad shape in quite a few areas? Doesnt Tatamy have an ordinance on sidewalks? Personally, i think the sidewalks in Tatamy, because of their condition, are less safe than the street. In fact, i would bet that a lawsuit could be one if a kid got hurt on the sidewalk because he wasnt allowed to ride on the street!? My kids are lucky in that they can ride their skateboards on our non-public alley/driveway. I even got really bold and bought one of them an electric scooter to ride in the alley.
I have enjoyed living in Tatamy, everyone was friendly, but i never really felt like i was accepted, but thats ok. I (and my kids) will miss the the small town activities like the hayride, the fire truck parade, Halloween was great here. I also have felt that the police did a great job patrolling and felt very safe to let my kids ride their bikes around. But I am getting married and its time to move on. Its one of the last true small towns around, but with a small town atmosphere, comes a small town mentality, not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that. And example of this f was I was shocked one day recently when i received a call from the Tatamy police chief saying that one of my neighbors complained that i left my dog poop in the field behind me. He said that he was told i was a nice guy, but shouldnt be allowed to do this. Well, suffice it to say, that i do not allow my dog to do this, she has escaped a couple of times, but thats it. We have had great fun joking about my dog, the outlaw of Tatamy! I imagine most communities would get angry if the police were following up on pooping dogs, but i will take that as a blessing! I was dissapointed that my neoghbor, whomever it was, didnt just ask me about it???Just today I decided to venture up to the police headquarters and show the officer some pictures of the real culprit! My dog is no longer considered a suspect and considered a good standing citizen of Tatamy Borough! Anyway, take care and enjoy your town of Tatamy, I will have fond memories of the town and be back for some of the activities.
1. Moving. I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving. If you live where I think you live, you're leaving a great house in a great neighborhood. I'd love to buy your house, but finances at the moment don't allow it. I wish you well, however. It's always sad to see good people leave the community. There are lots of folks "your age" in town (hint hint) - I hope you reconsider. In any event, congratulations on your upcoming wedding - I wish you nothing but the best.
2. Sidewalks. We (borough council) have recently formed a sidewalk committee to address the less than desirable condition of the (existing) sidewalks in town. There is a sidewalk ordinance, however, you're right - for the most part it's not enforced, and the time has come (long since passed?) to take some action. We are currently looking for guidance from neighboring communities to assist us with the process. With the warmer weather fast approaching (wasn't it great yesterday), I'm hopeful that things will begin progressing on this front. The goal right now is to get the EXISTING sidewalks (and I stress the word EXISTING) that are in really bad shape (e.g. broken, significantly heaved up due to frost/tree roots, etc.) into "compliance". We just need to determine what compliance means. Of course, there will be issues, the biggest one for most folks being $$$, which will need to be addressed somehow. What's the right answer? I don't know. My hope is that we can all work together as a council and community at large to come up a solution that everyone can live with and get this problem resolved. Stay tuned . . .
3. Skateboarding. I'm still of the opinion that the time and money spent on this was a waste of legislation. I don't buy the whole safety thing. I spoke as a concerned citizen (was elected, but not sworn in yet)in the meeting when the law was passed that it's not council's job to parent our children, but it fell on deaf ears then. I know there were a few no votes, but unfortunately the aye's had it and the ordinance passed. Unfortunately what's done is done.
3. The "Phantom Pooper" - I'm glad your dog has been exonerated! There are a few around (I have stumbled upon some in my own yard and I don't have a dog).
===
Some other things that we're working on:
1. High Street Park. The grant has been received (the letter was read publicly last night at the council meeting) and construction should begin in a few weeks on the basketball and volleyball courts, along with the parking lot. I'm looking forward to getting that project finished, as it will be a huge asset to the community.
2. Technology Committee. Did you know that Tatamy Borough had a website? Well, it doesn't yet (it's under construction) but stay tuned. I'm actively pursuing that one and hope to have something online by June. What would you readers like to see available? Let me know your thoughts. It will be "your" website.
3. Police Committee. We hired an officer last night to backfill an open position that was left after the unfortunate incident last year. The officer that was selected will be a great asset to the department and the borough. Be on the lookout for him and say "hello" next time you see him.
4. Tatamy Hunt Lighting. We hope to have the street lights turned on in the Tatamy Hunt development as soon as we can. We're currently working with the utility to make the arrangements to turn them on. We recognize this is a critical safety issue and are working to resolve it quickly.
5. Annual Easter Egg Hunt - will be held in Braden Park on Sunday 3/16 (Palm Sunday). Come out with the kids and have some fun.
FYI - Borough Council meets the first Monday of every month at 7:30PM in the Borough Hall. Come, get involved, voice your opinion, see what's going on. The more the merrier!
6 comments:
1) You can't skate on the grass.
2) You'll be hard pressed to find many sidewalks (or any built this century) in Tatamy.
3) I wouldn't think this was targeting if they we're banning bicycles, roller blades, and skateboards.
So let me get this straight, the only "In Town" alternative is now breaking the law - a $300 fine? That's genius.
Sounds to me like Tatamy is trolling for fines ($300 a pop) to recoup the $3500 they've donated to Nazareth's great skate park. The "safty angle", as the police chief puts it, sounds pretty lucrative.
I'm sure we'll be hearing from the local Tatamy business owners, again, real soon.
stilfx, i agree with alot of what you said, i am still dumbfounded by this whole thing. I had a 103 fever monday night and couldnt go to the council meeting, but i am not going to let this rest. A couple of things to add:
1)Tatamy does have sidewalks in the part of the town where the Mayor lives, so skateboarders(HINT) should know that.
2) Sidewalks are LESS SAFE to skate on that streets.Perhaps the mayor would rather have lawsuits becasue of nonconforming sidewalks casuing accidents on skateboards. The borough does not enforce the laws to keep them usable( take a look 2 houses down from the mayor)
3) I dont see how bikes or even jogging are less dangerous than skateboards, really i dont think he can win that argument. Perhps I can google some facts.
3) Im not sure if the businees owners care unless they live in town and have sklateboarding kids.
4) I am more convinced that the mayor is being pressured by someone(s) that dont like skateboards, or he has just gone completely wacky
5) I wonder how we can organize to have a well thought out challenge to this law. I havent compared who won the election to who voted for and against it, but i see we have alot of republicans, which tend to be less likely to pass a law because it feels good to them.
6) My kids, who dont own skateboards yet, cant beleive this law either and see the mayor around alot, they are going to RESPECTFULLY tell him that this is a silly law, my 13 year old said its kinda like that law in Arkansas that says your not allowed to shower naked.
@tatamite:
[quote}
3) Im not sure if the businees owners care unless they live in town and have sklateboarding kids.
[/quote]
Point was, now that the kids can't skate in the street, they will be looking to businesses with smoothly paved parking lots.
In response to Tatamite's comment, I'm one of those "newly elected" council members who was opposed to this goofy law when it was passed - and would have voted "no".
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as well as other issues in town.
Hi Chris, the truth of the matter is that even to this day, I really dont understand why they bothered to pass this law. Was the police chief bored? Did they(mayor and the police chief) get pressure from a business or possibly the Masons at the Whitefield house? I would be willing to bet that the true intention of the mayor and the police chief was anything other than safety. I got mad at it in the beginnning, but then just said "whatever"... not worth my energy.
I have my house for sale, and am moving to either lower, upper, bushkill or naz borough. I have found Tatamy to be friendly, quaint, and safe. ANd it seems that i have even made a 3 year stint living here without getting a ticket for a rolling stop! The reason for the move is not really related to anything to do with Tatamy, just want a bigger house, and some people my age.
A couple of comments, how can the kids use the sidewalks if they are in such bad shape in quite a few areas? Doesnt Tatamy have an ordinance on sidewalks? Personally, i think the sidewalks in Tatamy, because of their condition, are less safe than the street. In fact, i would bet that a lawsuit could be one if a kid got hurt on the sidewalk because he wasnt allowed to ride on the street!? My kids are lucky in that they can ride their skateboards on our non-public alley/driveway. I even got really bold and bought one of them an electric scooter to ride in the alley.
I have enjoyed living in Tatamy, everyone was friendly, but i never really felt like i was accepted, but thats ok. I (and my kids) will miss the the small town activities like the hayride, the fire truck parade, Halloween was great here. I also have felt that the police did a great job patrolling and felt very safe to let my kids ride their bikes around. But I am getting married and its time to move on. Its one of the last true small towns around, but with a small town atmosphere, comes a small town mentality, not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that. And example of this f was I was shocked one day recently when i received a call from the Tatamy police chief saying that one of my neighbors complained that i left my dog poop in the field behind me. He said that he was told i was a nice guy, but shouldnt be allowed to do this. Well, suffice it to say, that i do not allow my dog to do this, she has escaped a couple of times, but thats it. We have had great fun joking about my dog, the outlaw of Tatamy! I imagine most communities would get angry if the police were following up on pooping dogs, but i will take that as a blessing! I was dissapointed that my neoghbor, whomever it was, didnt just ask me about it???Just today I decided to venture up to the police headquarters and show the officer some pictures of the real culprit! My dog is no longer considered a suspect and considered a good standing citizen of Tatamy Borough! Anyway, take care and enjoy your town of Tatamy, I will have fond memories of the town and be back for some of the activities.
Wanna buy a house?
Hello neighbor . . .
I'll address some of your issues individually.
1. Moving. I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving. If you live where I think you live, you're leaving a great house in a great neighborhood. I'd love to buy your house, but finances at the moment don't allow it. I wish you well, however. It's always sad to see good people leave the community. There are lots of folks "your age" in town (hint hint) - I hope you reconsider. In any event, congratulations on your upcoming wedding - I wish you nothing but the best.
2. Sidewalks. We (borough council) have recently formed a sidewalk committee to address the less than desirable condition of the (existing) sidewalks in town. There is a sidewalk ordinance, however, you're right - for the most part it's not enforced, and the time has come (long since passed?) to take some action. We are currently looking for guidance from neighboring communities to assist us with the process. With the warmer weather fast approaching (wasn't it great yesterday), I'm hopeful that things will begin progressing on this front. The goal right now is to get the EXISTING sidewalks (and I stress the word EXISTING) that are in really bad shape (e.g. broken, significantly heaved up due to frost/tree roots, etc.) into "compliance". We just need to determine what compliance means. Of course, there will be issues, the biggest one for most folks being $$$, which will need to be addressed somehow. What's the right answer? I don't know. My hope is that we can all work together as a council and community at large to come up a solution that everyone can live with and get this problem resolved. Stay tuned . . .
3. Skateboarding. I'm still of the opinion that the time and money spent on this was a waste of legislation. I don't buy the whole safety thing. I spoke as a concerned citizen (was elected, but not sworn in yet)in the meeting when the law was passed that it's not council's job to parent our children, but it fell on deaf ears then. I know there were a few no votes, but unfortunately the aye's had it and the ordinance passed. Unfortunately what's done is done.
3. The "Phantom Pooper" - I'm glad your dog has been exonerated! There are a few around (I have stumbled upon some in my own yard and I don't have a dog).
===
Some other things that we're working on:
1. High Street Park. The grant has been received (the letter was read publicly last night at the council meeting) and construction should begin in a few weeks on the basketball and volleyball courts, along with the parking lot. I'm looking forward to getting that project finished, as it will be a huge asset to the community.
2. Technology Committee. Did you know that Tatamy Borough had a website? Well, it doesn't yet (it's under construction) but stay tuned. I'm actively pursuing that one and hope to have something online by June. What would you readers like to see available? Let me know your thoughts. It will be "your" website.
3. Police Committee. We hired an officer last night to backfill an open position that was left after the unfortunate incident last year. The officer that was selected will be a great asset to the department and the borough. Be on the lookout for him and say "hello" next time you see him.
4. Tatamy Hunt Lighting. We hope to have the street lights turned on in the Tatamy Hunt development as soon as we can. We're currently working with the utility to make the arrangements to turn them on. We recognize this is a critical safety issue and are working to resolve it quickly.
5. Annual Easter Egg Hunt - will be held in Braden Park on Sunday 3/16 (Palm Sunday). Come out with the kids and have some fun.
FYI - Borough Council meets the first Monday of every month at 7:30PM in the Borough Hall. Come, get involved, voice your opinion, see what's going on. The more the merrier!
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