The Dallas Post 10 Dallas, PA Wednesday, August 25, 1993 Noise foes (continued from page 1) ardize his client /attorneyreiation- ship. “I certainly didn't tell them to boot anyone out of the meeting,” he said. After the meeting, Perez said that she, Attanasio and Julie Savage would quit a committee which the borough council had appointed them to at its August 17 meeting. The council had set up the special committee set up to work with Greco in addressing problems connected with the amphitheatre. “I think that this was a political ploy by the council,” Perez said. Perez added that the group, tentatively called the Concerned Taxpayers of Harveys Lake, was organizing a steering committee to lead it. “I need help. I can’t do this alone,” she said. “Put this in the paper,” her 6 year-old daughter, Sara, inter- rupted. “The noise is bad, bad, bad. Kids have to go to sleep to get ready for their school.” Sara added that she knows children who can't sleep because of the noise from the amphitheatre and Tijuana Bar. Perez said that here group is also planning its strategy for dealing with the 1994 summer season. 100 voices (continued from page 1) can be worked out between concert promoter Thom Greco and coun- cil. Karen Line, who lives on Queen of Peace Road, said that the con- certs are only “seasonal enter- tainment,” between 15 and 20 events per year. “This has provided jobs,” she said. “This is bringing some vital- ity to the lake. Thom Greco has been very supportive of the police, who have solved many crimes here.” Diane Greg, of 99 Pine Street, said that the amphitheatre's speakers are pointed right at her home. “I have never had problems going to sleep on concert nights,” she said. “As far as traffic tie-ups go, the bicycle riders are more of a problem than concert-goers.” Lake-Lehman school board candidate Pat Gold, who is not a Harveys Lake resident, defended the amphitheatre, which she said didn't bring in the drugs and underage drinking. They were here already, Gold said. “This seems to be a personal issue againt one business,” she said. “Harveys Lake seems to have acquired a new scapegoat for all of its problems,” said Ruth Eaton, owner of Damien's restaurant. “Let's be fair to Thom Greco. He's come a long way. It takes time and money to grow.” Dolly Hinton of 100 Park Street, Joe Balcun of Pole 298 and Robert Dale, who gave council a letter with 95 signatures of people who like the amphitheatre, also spoke in favor of the amphitheatre. “I didn't get any free tickets from Greco for doing this,” Dale said. Residents should work with Greco “We invite our friends to enjoy the concerts from our backyard,” said Sandra Dobrowalksi of Oak Street. “Let's work together to solve any problems connected with theamphitheatre.” Debbie Zelinski, who attended ten concerts last year and took her three year-old child to some of them, blamed the lake's acoustics for noise problems. “The lake is unique. While sit- ting on my dock, I can hear con- versations taking place from across the lake. If the noise from the Tijuana Bar continues, maybe something should be done about it. Being angry won't help —- we need a compromise.” Bob Aben read a prepared state- ment, in which he said that he is “very much in favor of a resolu- tion” between Greco and the community. “If Greco doesn’t promote concerts here, someone else will,” he said. “His lease runs until 2001. It’s easier to deal with him than with another promoter who might live several thousand miles away from Harveys Lake.” “Let's not discourage young, innovative business people,” he said. The amphitheatre has brought Harveys Lake nothing but problems Mr. and Mrs. Sal Butera wrote council a letter objecting to the noise from the amphitheatre. Twelve residents told the bor- ough council their major concerns with the amphitheatre and the bars connected with it: Sandra Perez, Joan Rudiger, Robert Capp, Dan Latona, Marion Attanasio, Ed Sherwin, Wayne Smith, Ger- lad Kovaleski, Richard Merrill, Ann Tripp, Dan Matori and George Kostenbotter. Their concerns are: e Residents living near the amphitheatre can hear music inside their homes even with the doors and windows closed. After concerts end, music from Tijuana Bar is also clearly audible. e Concert-goers use residents’ homes and yards as places to litter, vomit, urinate and park without permission. When residents ask them to remove their cars, they are ver- bally abused in a vulgar manner. e Some concerts draw the type of crowd that uses foul language and drugs, resulting in 22 drug arrests and 14 arrests for under- age drinking the wekend of July 30-Aug. 1. e Parking is major problem especially on both sides of Oak, Ash and other surounding streets. Residents are concerned that emergency vehicles wouldn't be able to get through if they are needed. e People are angry at Greco's statements to the media that they don't have the right to complain about anything, thatit’s their fault for living in a resort area. e Property values will decrease, possibly by as much as $15,000- $20,000 per home, causing the borough tolose needed tax money and attracting “undesirables.” How will the borough make up the lost tax revenues, they ask. e Greco should make good on his promises. He threatened to bring in heavy metal bands only if Lake-Lehman school district enacted an amusement tax, which was voted down. Then he brought in heavy metal bands anyway. None of the groups which Greco mentioned bringing in for this season has appeared on the sched- ule. e Greco should be made to pay an amusement tax. So far, the only tax he pays is on electronic gaming machines in his estab- lishments. Under the 1983 bor- ough amusement ordinance, C-3 zones such as the amphitheatre are exempted. e The amphitheatre needs what other places, such as Indian River, Tanglewood, Wolftrap and Dolly- wood, have: shells around their performing areas to contain the noise. e The Tijuana Bar should turn its volume down. e If the Tijuana and Greco's other businesses are allowed to play loud music, there's no rea- son why other businesses can't bring bands into their parking lots and do the same. * People claim that the borough council has turned a deaf ear to their complaints and that the police have met their complaints with rudeness, indifference and inaction. » Residents asked if the police department is enforcing borough ordinances without interference from council, and if politics are involved in the police department's work. * Residents are concerned that police protection on concert nights is inadequate. When residents need the police and the officer is on duty elsewhere, the backup police from other municipalities are very slow to respond. Council members and the audience differed over what con- stitutes an emergency. Conncilman David Abod said, “If you're in imminent danger, that's an emergency. A person asleep on your front lawn isn’t an emergency.” Ann Tripp fired back, “I'd rather avoid imminent dan- ger, thank you. What if the guy whom you find asleep on your lawn wakes up and tries to harm you? Who knows what that per- son will do?” Caty Capp of Pole 261 described an emergency which she reported to the police approximately two weeks ago, of an accident in front of her house, in which she heard a woman : -aming “He's killing me! Help :.:” She also heard a man yelling “I'll kiil you!” and the sounds of someone being beaten. She said that it took the police 22 minutes to respond, during which time the man took off. Memorable comments Residents were often quite elo- quent in making their statements. These are some of the more memorable: * “We must consider the people whose walls are vibrating from the high volume level. I love the music, but oh, you kid!” — sum- mer resident Richard Merrill, Pole 136. “If things aren't changed, I'll be back to see the demise and death of Harveys Lake.” — Dan Matori, Pole 165. ¢ “Concerts are for the paying patrons inside the establishment, not for the people sitting out on the lake in boats.” — George Kos- tenbotter, Box 493. ¢ “I have been told that my problems with the noise are my fault for living here. Is it my fault for having been born and growing up here? Is it my fault for loving Harveys Lake?” - Sandra Perez, Ash Street. By GRACE R. DOVE Post Staff Residents’ allegations that Harveys Lake Borough council members get free tickets to con- certs at the Bud Light Am- phitheatre were finally confirmed at the Tuesday, August 17, bor- ough council meeting, when resi- dent James Drury put the ques- tion directly to council president Joseph Miscavage. After several moments’ silence, during which the more than 100 members of the audience laughed, Miscavage repeatedly looked at council members, other council members looked anywhere but at the audience and a rather sheep- ish-looking councilman Ed Kelly shifted several times in his chair, Miscavage finally said, “Yes.” Later in the meeting, concert promoter Thom Greco said that he gives council members tickets so that they can see that he is running his shows properly. “You won't see council mem- bers sitting in their seats enjoying the concerts,” he said. “They're out walking around, checking that everything is all right and that underage drinking doesn’t goon.” In other business, the council voted to: * Appoint a committee to work with Greco to address some of the residents’ complaints about the amphitheatre and its associated businesses. Committee members are: Councilmen Rick Boice, Martin Noon, Ed Kelly and Thomas Kehler; Mrs. Kopko, Julie Savage, Bob Aben and Ruth Eaton. Greco, borough solicitor Charles McCormick and assistant police chief Ronald Spock will also sit in on meetings. e Recommend that Mayor Jo- seph Boyle direct the police to add an extra officer to patrol the streets in the area of the amphitheatre on , concert nights, between the end of concerts and the closing of the Tijuana Bar. Boice later said that although Greco pays the borough $30 per police officer per hour for police Council members get free concert tix protection on concert nights, the borough will pick up the tab for the extra officer. e Study the parking situation on the streets around the am- phitheatre on concert nights and consider either a residents’ park- ing permit system or special park- ing regulations for these streets on concert nights, to be imple- mented by a proclamation from the mayor. * Adopt an ordinance recogniz- ing the D.C. Roberts Fire Com- pany as the provider of fire and ambulance services to the bor- ough, for liability and workmen's compensation purposes. * Appoint Thomas Kehler to assist David Abod with research- ing grants, because Abod is often out of town on business. Councilman Martin Noon asked residents having ping-pong, pool or football games which they aren't using to consider donating them to the recreation center so that the borough can begin a chaper- oned weekend program for teen- agers. Greco (continued from page 1) people must realize that this is a C-3 zone.” Greco said that last year he operated the dance hall with no complaints. Years ago three dance halls operated at the lake and nobody complained about them. “l opened the Bud Light Am- phitheatre to serve the commu- nity and will not break my prom- ise,” he concluded. “The state recognizes Harveys Lake as a resort community. That's the nature of the beast in a resort community with this type of mix of residential and commercial zones. The amusement park was here before the people were. Be- fore there was a road around the lake, the Lehigh Valley Railroad dropped people off here. You elected to live here, I elected to become part of it.” Fax your ad! to The Dallas Post 675-3650 Karlancheeks Of Dallas FOR A CHANGE $9999 DOT MIS LAST CHANCE TO SAVE: = Vos =D © ois One BROVHIL, LAZYROY, SERTA LANE, BASSETT KING KOIL AND MUCH HORE! - Bring Your Truck - Bring Your Van - Bring Your Muscles - JACOB KURLANCHEEX FURNITURE (TIS Ha sn; 3 2S TO Dallas, Pa. 718 Memorial Highway 675-2553 Hours: Mon. - Tues. - Sat. 10-5 Wed. Closed Thurs.- Fri. 10-9, Sun. 12-5 OO SN
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