Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O’Brien and Councilman Stanley Drwal are getting a bit too “Orwellian” if you ask me. They’re going to put cameras in the Julian L. Capik Nature Preserve area, off Bordentown Avenue, to stem the “epidemic” of ATV (all-terrain vehicles) riders thrashing the area.
I walk my dog in the park no less than three times a week and can honestly say that in the last two years I have encountered, maybe, four riders. All were courteous enough to stop and let me pass on the tight paths.
Sure, the cameras are going to be donated free of charge, but if you read the fine print at the end of that article (“Borough to Monitor Parks With Donated Cameras,” Suburban, Nov. 24), the people of Sayreville are going to be paying between $20,000-$30,000 per year for the maintenance of those cameras. Surely that money could be better spent on bike paths or to improve the parking area so more people could have access to this public area.
The dumping of garbage is the most serious problem in the park. As someone who has witnessed a dumper, called police and later found that the dumper was ticketed and fined very heavily, I can tell you that cameras aren’t the answer — people presence is.
So Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Drwal, instead of making this area a personal hunting and fishing area for a few select permit holders, make this area more accessible for the people. Put an entrance and parking area off Cheesequake Road. Improve the parking area off Bordentown Avenue.
The money you spent erecting all those signs threatening fines and imprisonment is already a blemish on this pristine area.
Don’t scare people away, invite them in. The more people in this wildlife area, the less likely ATV riders and dumpers will be there.
Dan Scully
Sayreville