PALO ALTO - In response to complaints about vandals at the Savory Street Playground, borough officials will padlock the park after hours, Joe Bowers, borough maintenance supervisor, said Monday.
"And if we can't solve the problem, we're going to lock it indefinitely," council President John A. Deatrich Jr. said Monday.
The borough-owned playground in the 300 block of West Savory Street is 70 feet long and 60 feet wide and is geared for smaller children. It includes a grass lawn, a pavilion and rides such as swing sets, a manual merry-go-round, a teeter-totter and duck spring. The playground is surrounded by a fence that is more than six feet high.
In mid-May, Bowers installed a light bulb at the pavilion.
"It cost about $20. It was just a little solar light under the pavilion which would go on when it got dark out. And it lasted a week and a half. They had it smashed," Bowers said.
At a June 10 council meeting, citizens complained about teenagers between ages 13 and 15 gathering at the playground and disturbing the peace.
"A couple neighbors are complaining that these teenagers are throwing rocks at their dogs and they're using profanity, stuff like that," Bowers said.
There's a sign there listing the park's hours of operation: "Open 8 a.m. Closed 10 p.m. No trespassing 10 p.m. to 8 a.m." However, the borough hasn't enforced it in at least four years.
"We hadn't had a reason to. There weren't complaints and we loosened up on it," Deatrich said.
Since the June 10 meeting, the borough padlocks the playground's gates at 10 p.m. and opens them at 8 a.m., Bowers said.
Deatrich said he's going to review the Quality of Life ordinance the borough approved in 2012 to see if there's a way to use it to deal with playground vandals.
Bowers said he'd like the council to consider installing video cameras at the Savory Street Playground.
"I don't like the idea of locking the playground down indefinitely. I can't see doing it. There are a lot of younger children who go there. Their parents take them. I don't want to punish everybody because of a handful of bad apples," Bowers said.
The borough has a playground geared for teenagers and adults on Bacon Street. It includes basketball courts, Bowers said.
The borough hasn't had a problem at the Bacon Street Playground and doesn't lock it after hours, Deatrich said.
The borough has one full-time and two part-time police officers, Deatrich said.
In a related matter, in mid-May, Port Carbon Borough Council reported problems with vandals who damaged lights, tables and covers on electric receptacles at its Francis E. Lubinsky Playground, according to Sandy Palokas, borough secretary/treasurer.
Port Carbon is considering ways to improve security there, Palokas said at the council's June 11 meeting.