DuBois– Patrick Raymond of South Brady Street asked the City of DuBois to do something about speeding near where he lives.
“That is questionable as it should be the Indianapolis Speedway of DuBois,” said Raymond in regards to his address.
Stating that he saw a person go 95 miles per hour in a 25 MPH zone, Raymond told the City Council of the City of DuBois to go after speeders for profit. Raymond cited his past home city of Clinton, MA and Bolton, MA as places that made the news for how much money they made from speeding tickets.
“Let’s go after that million dollars. Let’s make people pay for their mistakes,” said Raymond.
There were other suggestions such as setting up fake police cars to serve as a speeding discouragement. Then once speeders got used to the car being a fake it could be swapped out with a real car and officer who would catch speeders who thought the car was a decoy.
“The one thing we don’t have here in Pennsylvania, in our towns and cities, we aren’t allowed to use radar,” said City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio to explain why the City of DuBois couldn’t deter speeders directly. That only Pennsylvania State Police are allowed to use radar for speed enforcement.
“Is this for real?” asked Raymond.
Councilmember Diane Bernardo explained to Raymond that Commonwealth of Pennsylvania state legislature is working on a bill that would allow local officer radar use. Also that this has something the City of DuBois has been pushing for over years. If Raymond wanted to see that happen he was encouraged to contact State Senator Joe Scarnati and State Representative Matt Gabler.
“When you talk to Mr. Scarnatti, tell him you want radar in Pennsylvania,” said Bernardo.
“That’s why they’re getting away? You know what’s not funny, when it is your kids or Grandkids’ guts on the road,” said Raymond.
Bernardo added that there is now a prohibition on police departments making excess revenue from speeding tickets.
“We’re being stifled by a little thing called laws,” said Raymond.
Truck Ban
“Now’s the time that if you were going to think about having no trucks [on Main Street]. If you aren’t we need to put it to bed,” said City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio.
The City of DuBois had been debating on whether or not to continue allowing non-local truck traffic on Main Street once the improvement project completes. According to City Engineer Chris Nasuti, the project is due to be finished in August, within two months.
“I don’t care if that tractor trailer is empty. I don’t want it go down and destroy the road,” said Councilmember Ed Walsh.
The City Council voted to approve move forward with a revision to existing ordinances to restrict large truck traffic on Main Street. Trucks would be allowed on Main Street if their end or starting destination is on Main Street. Truck traffic would only be forbidden for trucks trying to cut across town by using Main Street. The fine would be $500.
Park Bans
The topic of banning certain things in the City of DuBois Public Park came up at Monday’s City Council meeting. No decision was made on either, but the Council plans on thinking the topics over.
Dogs
“The next item stems more from Community Days. We had two or three people bit by dogs,” said Suplizio.
While started as a safety concern, the debate quickly moved to people not cleaning up after their dogs. Not just in the general park areas, but on the ball fields as well.
“The fields that were grass? There are some people who feel they can go drop their little doggie, or big doggie, and let them run,” said Councilmember Randy Schmidt.
“We got a dog park that people could take their dogs to,” said Suplizio.
Schmidt added that if the dogs “go” while running around in the ball fields the owners rarely went into the fields to cleanup. Similar sanitation concerns were raised with an account of City workers often accidentally finding piles of dog defecation with their weed eaters.
“So dog owners have ruined this for themselves?” asked Bernardo.
Suplizo said a lot of dog owners do it the right way, but the situation is being ruined by the few.
Smoking
The City Council is investigating the possibility of effectively banning smoking in the City of DuBois Public Park. The reason given is that members of the City Council have seen people smoking on the flammable AstroTurf.
“Fire and AstroTurf really don’t mix together,” said Suplizio.
Seeing a total ban as being difficult, the City of DuBois will instead designated a handful of locations as the only places you are allowed to smoke at in the park.
Pool
The Council discussed and seemed in favor of allowing the DuBois YMCA to use the City of DuBois Public Pool from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The pool official opens for City use at 12:00, but according to City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio it has swimming lessons start at 11:00 a.m. So this would mean no overlap between the uses.
Suplizio explained the request to the Council. The YMCA had approached him as the YMCA is doing work on their pool while it is their pool’s slow season. Until the work is done the YMCA had wanted permission to use the public pool as an alternative. They had offered to either provide their own lifeguards or to reimburse the City of DuBois if the City provided lifeguards instead.
“I think they have been good neighbors for us,” said Councilmember Ed Walsh.
