BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Committee delays park rules changes

By Amber Cox, Staff Writer
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — The Township Committee decided Monday to adjourn a public hearing on an ordinance to close parks, playgrounds and recreation areas at dusk — instead of 10 p.m. — after a number of concerns were raised by residents.
   An ordinance to close these areas earlier had been introduced after a number of complaints were made to police.
   ”We’ve had profanity (complaints),” police Chief Frank Nucera said. “We’ve had criminal mischief at the park(s), and we’ve also had sexual activities taking place that shouldn’t be taking place.”
   Chief Nucera said the culprits most likely are those kids who go to the park at dark. By closing it earlier, the residences that surround the park wouldn’t have to worry about that type of language and activities taking place in the park, he said.
   ”When you have dawn to dusk hours, it’s easier for the police to go in there when it’s dark out and just patrol the park,” Mayor Dauber said, adding that the current 10 p.m. closing allows the areas to be open in two hours of darkness in the spring and about an hour in the summer.
   Resident Seth Harmening lives in one of the neighborhoods with a park. He said he has lived in that neighborhood for 20 years and could remember maybe five incidences.
   ”So when you’re living next to a farm, and a cow shows up, you’re surprised?” he said. “You move next to a basketball court, and people play basketball, you’re surprised? I moved into the basketball court area knowing it was a recreational area for kids, knowing there was going to be noise. We’re going to have noise.”
   Resident Terri Veit-Harmening also voiced concerns, saying closing the parks earlier would take away from recreational activities for older children.
   ”So, basically, you would be moving an OK form of recreation (away) from those kids who are still living at home,” she said. “You’re telling them they can’t go outside at 8 o’clock and throw a basketball around because now that’s a problem?”
   Ms. Veit-Harmening also said closing the parks early would encourage more kids to hang around in yards.
   ”Are the police going to come and tell them they can’t hang out in the yard?” she said. “Most parents don’t have basketball courts and a place for them to hang out and throw a ball around. If you look back in history, when you start removing things, you end up in a whole world of trouble.”
   But Mayor Dauber also said an issue comes up when equipment at the parks is vandalized.
   ”Most of the vandalism that happens to the equipment happens at night,” he said. “This would help with that.”
   Committeeman Bruce Hill said the township has spent a lot of taxpayer money on vandalism and removing graffiti.
   ”The kids tot lot down at Terry Field is a mess,” Mayor Dauber said. “The equipment has graffiti on it; it’s falling apart. The kids go down there at night, and they’re burning letters (on the equipment). I take my kids there, and I had to stop because it’s falling apart. When you start taking taxpayers’ money to fix these parks up, you don’t want to have to throw it away because they’re being destroyed by vandals.”
   Mr. Hill said he was willing to take a look at the ordinance and ask Chief Nucera to document how many complaints are made, where they are made and what they are.
   ”Once we review that information, then we’ll come back, and if we need to reconsider the introduction of this ordinance, I will be more than happy to do that,” he said. “If the public comes out, we will have a list for them — over the course of the summer, here’s all the complaints that we received — so that we can tell you exactly what the complaints are.”
   All committee members present agreed to reviewing the situation during the summer. If they decide to go ahead with closing the areas earlier, the public hearing on the ordinance will resume Sept. 12.
   In other business, the Township Committee also withdrew the current Town Center Redevelopment Plan in order to make changes.
   Mayor Michael Dauber explained the township is going to work with the Burlington County Bridge Commission’s planning department along with the Planning Board to develop a new redevelopment plan.
   ”We’ll introduce that in a couple of months once we have a chance to make more changes to the plan,” he said. “We’re going to make major changes to the plan so it would be easier for us to withdraw it now and reintroduce it at a time when it’s ready.”