Martins Ferry Council Discusses Restricting Park Hours
Jennifer Compston-Strough Trending
While city leaders praised water department workers for their swift response to a major line break on Memorial Day, a couple of troubling issues marred Mayor John Davies' report to City Council on Wednesday.
Davies told council during its regular meeting that vandalism had occurred at Martins Ferry's City Park. He provided photos of some of the damages that were recently discovered.
"This is constantly going on," Davies said.
He suggested that council consider crafting an ordinance that would ban youth age 16 and younger from the park after 6 p.m. unless they are accompanied by an adult. Prior to 6 p.m., he said, lifeguards at the swimming pool are able to monitor activities taking place in the park. After 6 p.m., though, there is no supervision of the area by the city, and he said that is when the damage is occurring.
He said there has been damage to benches, tables, breaker boxes, wiring and light bulbs as examples.
"You name it, it's happened," he noted, adding that he and city employees must work hard to mitigate that damage. "We spend a lot of money, a lot of time over there cutting grass, picking up trash every day ..."
Councilwoman Suzanne Armstrong asked Police Chief Jerry Murphy if city-owned cameras at the park could be of use in identifying the alleged vandals. Murphy replied that they could be, but reviewing the footage takes time, especially if it is unclear exactly when the damage occurred. He also said that youth from surrounding communities such as Bridgeport and Wheeling come to the park, and it can be harder to identify them.
Another concern Davies raised is the presence of electric bicycles, gas-powered bicycles and scooters on city streets.
Murphy said he and his officers are working on enforcing traffic laws when it comes to motorized bikes and scooters. They are relying on existing ordinances for enforcement purposes at this time.
City council's Ordinance Committee will set a meeting to discuss creation of ordinances to address vandalism at the park as well as electric and gas-powered bike and scooters operating on city streets.
Meanwhile, Davies asked council to authorize the use of up to $7,500 from the general fund to pay for fireworks and entertainment during the community's Independence Day celebration, scheduled for July 6 at the park. Discussion revealed that Project Forward, a downtown revitalization group, is donating $2,000 while the Martins Ferry Chamber of Commerce is donating $1,000. The city also received a $1,500 grant from the Belmont County Tourism Council for the event.
Council authorized the expenditure to ensure that all costs associated with the celebration will be covered.
Councilman Rick Rodgers, serving as council president in the absence of Kristine Davis, mentioned that he had received "at least a dozen calls" and in-person encounters during which residents said they were pleased with city workers' response to the main waterline break on May 27 that left the entire city and other communities its serves without water. He commended them for making the "quick repair," which resulted in water service being restored by the following morning.
Safety/Service Director Andy Sutak agreed that it was a job well done. He said the crew had to climb down into a 10-foot hole and apply a sleeve to the pipe in order to fix the problem. They worked late into the night to fill the hole and clean up after the repair, he said, then were out again at 7 a.m. May 28 repairing more minor breaks that occurred when they repressurized the lines.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Richard Hord also complimented the water department for its work.
Also addressing council was St. Clairsville resident Larry Perkins, representing the Ebenezer Zane Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. The chapter recently installed a sign at the city's Walnut Grove Cemetery, where Zane is buried. He suggested that a dedication of the sign be held on July 6, and city leaders agreed to work with him to make that happen.
Martins Ferry resident Kim Train told council about properties where grass is not being cut.
Robert Reed, a resident of Bridgeport, asked about the filtration system at the water treatment plant and whether ongoing upgrades would improve the water quality. Both Sutak and Davies said they believe the water quality will get better. Bridgeport and Brookside both purchase water from the city.
Finally, council voted to move its regularly scheduled meeting from June 19 to 6 p.m. June 26 at the Recreation Center. The change was made in observance of Juneteenth as a federal holiday.