New York City discovers Honesdale; Concern that vandals will tarnish tourist business

Linda Drollinger
Posted 8/21/12

HONEDALE, PA — The September 8 meeting of the Honesdale Borough Council was all about growing, protecting and burnishing Honesdale’s new identity.

Speaking during the citizen input …

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New York City discovers Honesdale; Concern that vandals will tarnish tourist business

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HONEDALE, PA — The September 8 meeting of the Honesdale Borough Council was all about growing, protecting and burnishing Honesdale’s new identity.

Speaking during the citizen input segment, Trackside Grill owner Jeff Hiller called attention to an article published in the August 28 issue of Newsday, Long Island’s premier newspaper (www.newsday.com/travel/fall-foliage-near-long-island-3-great-destinations-1.9162426).

The article recommended three PA towns as fall foliage destinations within easy driving distance of the New York metro area: Jim Thorpe, with its “Victorian vibe,” “nouveau artsy” Milford and “unspoiled” Honesdale. Citing this as undeniable evidence that Honesdale’s longstanding efforts to transform itself from Appalachian coal-pocket town to trendy tourist destination are at last paying off, Hiller then detailed what he sees as a growing threat to the town’s tourism industry: rampant vandalism.

Hiller said that last Saturday night Central Park was trashed in the literal sense: trashcan contents were strewn throughout the park, and large flower pots lining Main and Church streets were overturned. Mayor Jack Bishop, police chief Rick Southerton, and director of public works Rich Doney echoed Hiller’s statement that Central Park vandalism is happening seven days a week.

In response to Greater Honesdale Partnership (GHP) Executive Director Gail Tucker’s plea for increased police presence in and around the park, Southerton said that a manpower shortage and increased foot patrols, begun recently at citizen request, have limited officers’ ability to catch vandals in the act. This prompted almost everyone present to weigh in with suggestions for dealing with the vandals. Citizen watch groups, stakeouts and surveillance cameras were mentioned.

Southerton said he thought surveillance cameras could be useful, both to deter vandals and to identify them. While he said that citizen watch groups could also be effective in deterring and identifying vandals, he told a plucky woman, who volunteered to conduct her own stakeout, that the role of any citizen in assisting police operations must be restricted to calling police when vandals are spotted. “But will they come right away?” she asked. Southerton said that police will respond immediately, unless they are dealing with an emergency, such as an accident or violent crime. Borough President James Brennan suggested that discussions among Bishop, Southerton, Doney, council members and other interested parties continue outside the council meeting, and all agreed that they would.

Tucker then drew the council’s attention to business owners and landlords who fail to maintain sidewalks in front of their businesses and properties, pointing out that unrestrained weed growth, dead trees, and failure to remove debris from sidewalks is undermining GHP beautification projects. Brennan suggested that the council place a newspaper notice reminding business owners and landlords of their civic responsibility to maintain the appearance and safety of sidewalks, but Tucker said that the “negative press” generated by the notice would be counterproductive and that GHP was better positioned to address business owners.

The last bit of real property improvement tackled at the meeting had direct bearing on Bishop’s oft-repeated desire for return of rail service to Honesdale. Representatives from the Delaware-Lackawanna-Stourbridge Railroad struck an agreement with the council to repair railroad access road Torrey Lane, described by Tucker as a “veritable minefield of deep potholes,” for the price of $4,000.

For full meeting minutes and information on Honesdale governance, see honesdaleborough.com/departments-and-services/government/council-members.

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