Upper Schuylkill Program essential to pedestrian safety
06/24/2007
To the Editor:
I find it necessary to clarify some misconceptions with
regard to the Upper Schuylkill Pedestrian Motorist Safety Program,
which is an important safety initiative for our senior citizens, youth,
businesses, visitors and residents.
Traffic calming and pedestrian safety is extremely important
to our downtown revitalization initiatives. Transportation safety
in our central business districts is a goal and objective that must
be met on the regional and local level as per our state Main Street
contracts.
We are all fortunate to have been provided this program
through our partnering relationship with PennDOT and North Central
Highway Safety who provide special funding and education to our six
communities. Our successful program is used as a model throughout
the state.
In the spirit of cooperation, Ashland’s rejection
of the program is truly disheartening to our partnering communities.
Their reasoning is not understood. However, with or without them,
the Upper Schuylkill program will continue to move full steam ahead
in partnership and collaboration.
Ashland’s mayor was quoted as saying: “Officers
can’t be compelled to work without overtime pay unless there
is an emergency.’’
At no time has anyone compelled an officer to work without
overtime pay as part of this program. This program is designed as
a straight-time reimbursement program for police services, with up
to $5,000 going toward each borough’s budget. The police are
asked to do a few hours foot and vehicle patrol during their regular
shifts in our downtown areas throughout a three-month period whether
it be first, second or third shift.
We have been very flexible and have clearly explained
that should a policeman get a call while on foot patrol, all he has
to do is hop in his car and take the call so his regular duties are
not interrupted. In no way should any police officer exceed 40 hours
as a result of this program, nor should it be a problem with any police
contract.
There should be no need for overtime pay to provide
this service to a community as we see it. In addition, the funding
is for services our police departments do not provide as their regular
daily duties. Therefore, the reimbursement funds are not paying for
something the local police already do.
Each borough council should have the option of hiring
a part-time police officer if their regular officers refuse to do
the job. If part-timers are hired in their community, borough councils
have the option to provide overtime if necessary if they so choose,
or they can have their police force run the program as part of their
regular shifts.
In a recent article, Ashland Councilman George Demko
said that part-time police officers should then be offered the pedestrian
program hours, but Chief Bernodin responded that it would violate
the police contract and they would file a grievance against their
borough. No one can understand this since the full-time officers are
refusing the work. And, why is it only one town of six presenting
these issues?
The up to $5,000 reimbursement through our program goes
directly to the boroughs, as our hope is to assist in defraying cost
toward our borough budgets as well as a benefit to our tax payers.
Ashland Councilman Tom Joyce was quoted as saying: “We
hire the police officers. They work for us. I don’t want anybody
from an outside agency telling us where and when to put our police
officers.”
As with any grant, there are parameters, reporting and
procedures to follow and this grant is no different. Any elected official
should understand that and in no way be threatened by this grant or
any other initiative of the Upper Schuylkill or local downtown program.
Please know that the Upper Schuylkill program and the
hundreds of wonderful unpaid volunteers throughout our six communities
work tirelessly to improve the quality of life in the Upper Schuylkill
region and in their individual communities. They should be commended,
respected and certainly appreciated.
Through this program and with borough support we have
the capacity to do great things to promote positive change.
As a reminder, in 2005 each of the six boroughs were
required to adopt a resolution promising support and cooperation with
the regional revitalization initiative as well as support to their
local downtown organization. Please keep that promise. All of our
communities and citizens deserve it.
Patrice K. Rader
Executive Director
Upper Schuylkill
Mahanoy City
© The REPUBLICAN & Herald
2007
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