Downtown skateboarders are an accident waiting to happen, says Mayor Marian “Sam” Harmoning. It’s only a matter of time before someone walking out of a store gets “cold cocked” by a skateboarder, she told a special council meeting Tuesday, July 22. “Somebody’s going to get hurt one of these days.” The issue came up when Police Chief Jeff Herr told council members skateboarders have been scraping up the railing along the stairs on the south side of the city hall. He’s shopping for a stainless steel guard that could be welded onto the railing to keep the skateboarders off. The guard wouldn’t be sharp so it wouldn’t be a hazard, he said. But it would “take that smooth surface away,” he said. It would also be used on the railings along the stairs leading from the new library entrance to Cherry Avenue. Council member Bruce Karg said skateboarders jump the curb in front of his downtown dental office and he’s concerned they’ll crash into his display windows. “That has been an ongoing problem,” Harmoning said. “We’ve got to try and figure out an enforcement angle.” Signs downtown warn against skateboarding and riding bikes on the sidewalks, Herr said in an interview. Police for the most part talk to the kids and tell them to stay off the sidewalks with skateboards and bikes, he said. “But it’s getting to the point where we’re getting more complaints.” And it’s getting to be a safety concern. Police and the city council are looking into the possibility of enacting an ordinance prohibiting skateboarding and biking on downtown sidewalks, he said. Penalties would be administrative fines paid at the city hall. No skateboarding and bike riding signs have been ordered and will be placed near the city hall and library, Herr said. He suggested skateboarders use the hockey rink at Pleasant Avenue and Park Street. Council member Bill McNellis mentioned the idea of a skateboard park. “I appreciate that they’d love one,” Harmoning said. “I just can’t give them one.” In other action, the council: – Approved plans and specifications for a water treatment plant and public works garage at the site of the present water storage tank near Big Woods Park. The council authorized advertising for bids on the facilities and a 1,000-gallon-per-minute well, the city’s third. City engineer Brad DeWolf estimated the treatment plant cost at about $3 million and the 8,000-square-foot steel garage at about $500,000. Bid opening is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21. Construction could start in September and take 12 to 15 months. The project would be financed with a 1.49 percent loan from the state Public Facilities Authority. – Approved plans and specifications and authorized advertising for bids on a sewer lift station for the 80-acre Triplett Farms housing development south of Harrison Street. DeWolf recommended the city not open the bids until Saratoga Land Development signs the development agreement. – Turned down a Library Board request to name the alley that runs past the new library to make it easier for people to find. “I’m just not in favor of naming our alleys,” Harmoning said. One suggestion was Library Lane. The city will post library hours at the city hall entrance and place a library sign on the west side of the building to make it easier for people to locate the library entrance, which is north and around the corner from the city hall entrance. The city will also post a campus sign on Main Street pointing the way to the city hall, police station and library. – Voted to waive $500 in city fees for the Habitat for Humanity house being built for a low-income family in Purcell’s Ponds. But council members said it was difficult to donate money on behalf of citizens. “I know it’s not what you were looking for, but it will help,” Harmoning told a Habitat representative. – Authorized Ehlers & Associates to solicit bids for refunding some 1996 city bonds. The city expects to save $26,300 due to the low interest rates available. The bids will be considered at the council’s regular August meeting, 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4.
