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Hazle Twp. Supervisors hear accessibility concerns for Community Park

Standard-Speaker - 3/15/2023

Mar. 14—Hazle Twp. Richard Wienches is tired of encountering obstacles in a months-long effort to get the township supervisors to make Community Park more accessible to people with disabilities.

The Forest Hills resident grilled the supervisors on Monday about issues he believes need to be addressed at the park for people who have difficulty walking or are confined to wheelchairs.

A section of the parking lot where signs are posted for handicap spaces is not paved and does not have lines that delineate those spaces, he said.

An area that houses a handicap-accessible swing that was donated by the local Lions Club is a muddy mess, he contends.

He also told the supervisors that the park lacks dedicated paved pathways that could make it easier for people with wheelchairs to access pavilions and the amphitheater.

"You have people who are disabled, handicapped who are having trouble getting in and out of their cars," he said. "Wheelchairs need a firm surface to cross over. That park is all gravel. Three out of the six pavilions, you can't get onto the pavilions without a wheelchair. That Lions Club swing, it's a mess. It's in a mud hole. It should be paved."

Supervisors' Chairman Jim Montone told Wienches that township officials are aware of his concerns and would be willing to address them when the weather breaks.

Wienches, however, said he raised the same concerns late last summer but is still waiting for the township to resolve them.

He revisited the issue Monday after the supervisors awarded a $273,000 contract to H&K Group for a grant-funded project to build pickleball courts near the soccer fields at Community Park and install batting cages and bullpens at nearby Hazle Twp. Baseball Complex. The work scope includes improvements to an access road to the pickle ball courts.

"I'm for sports all the way," he said. "But, we got to look at everything."

Montone told Wienches that he met with a state official at the park last year to discuss accessibility, but said the state official — who he did not name and said was only willing to meet with the supervisors — found no issues.

"He said that the park was probably one of the best parks in the state when it comes to access," Montone said. "(The official) does not want to speak with anyone in the public. The reason for that was everyone has their own opinion when it comes to (ADA) act. That was his request — that I meet with you and you alone with the supervisors. We talked about things that should be done. But he said that the park was as good as any other park in the state when it comes to handicapped people coming in and out."

Wienches wasn't satisfied with the explanation.

He asked Montone if he could speak directly with the state official. Montone said he would not name that person, saying he could not break his trust.

Wienches said he believes problems exist at the park because the township doesn't have a person who regularly inspects it.

The supervisors arranged to have worn out hardware replaced on play apparatus last year, but Wienches said that didn't happen until he brought the issue to the supervisors.

At one point, Wienches asked Supervisor Anthony Griguoli for his thoughts on improvements that are needed at the park.

Griguloi told him the township could perform some of the work incrementally beginning in the spring.

"This isn't (us) trying to get out of doing anything," Montone added. "We can pave that swing (area). But not now, there's snow on the ground."

Montone also said the township could look into other improvements mentioned by Wienches and told the resident he has been the only person to approach the supervisors with accessibility concerns during his 10 years in office.

"That makes it OK because I'm the first one?" Wienches shot back. "Nobody's checking the park for safety. In the next few months, I want it considered for paving."

Wienches said his concerns for the handicap-accessible parking could be addressed if the township would pave a 20-feet wide by 60-feet long section near the handicap-parking signs. That work, he said, could also address runoff and resolve issues with mud near the play area, he said.

Montone again told him paving could not be completed in the winter.

Wienches said officials could get plans in place now so that work could be completed when asphalt plants open.

Stray cats

Supervisor Dennis Dudeck said he wants the supervisors to consider adopting an ordinance that would prohibit people from feeding feral cats.

He initially suggested teaming with an organization that offers a spay/neutering program, but township Clerk Wendy Naprava told him the local SPCA tasks communities with gathering stray cats, taking them to get fixed and bringing them back to the township when the procedures are completed.

Citing issues in Lattimer and other parts of the township, Dudeck said he would like the supervisors to adopt an ordinance that would "tag" people who harbor or feed feral cats.

Montone said officials could consider adopting an ordinance, but said it could be difficult for township officials to prove that a person is violating those regulations.

Contact the writer: sgalski@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3586

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