[ back ]
Public urinators have to go
(by Maggie Fazeli Fard - April 18, 2008)
For many, spring heralds new sights, sounds and activities, bringing with it everything from fresh flowers to backyard barbecues and ball games played into the late afternoon. But for High Ridge Road residents like Mike Curcio and John Hallenbeck, the start of the spring sports season at neighboring St. Joseph’s
Regional
High School forebodes just one thing: public urination.
Curcio and Hallenbeck, whose properties flank the visitor’s side of St. Joe’s football field, have complained to the borough’s planning board numerous times about activity at the school. They have alleged that sports teams blast profane music during practices and use bullhorns and loudspeakers in violation of the borough’s noise ordinance. They have claimed that fly balls zoom precariously over the fence into their backyards, threatening the safety of their children. That visitors dump beer cans and other garbage into their backyards. And, not least of all, that people keep peeing on their lawns.
“Last weekend, I was playing catch with my sons, 6 and 8 years old, when two guys came over and started urinating over the fence,” said Curcio at the April 15 planning board meeting, expressing concern that if people are willing to expose themselves before young children and pee into someone’s yard during daylight hours, there is no telling what they will do when the sun sets.
Currently, the planning board is holding hearings on an application by St. Joe’s to install new lights on the football field, erected on two 70-foot poles on one side of the field and two 80-foot poles on the other side. If approved, the lights will increase nighttime use of the field, with approximately 21 evening sporting events scheduled for the 2008-2009 school year. Despite promises to the contrary by St. Joe’s athletic director, Tom Karcich, residents are concerned that a shift in field use to the evenings will clear the way for additional events to be held during the day. With more games and practices, residents foresee more people, more noise, more litter, and more pee.
“I sympathize with these people,” Planning Board Chairman John De Pinto said at Tuesday’s meeting, expressing surprise that the urination would continue without intervention by the school when St. Joe’s has an application in review. “I’m really disappointed that this activity occurred a week ago! This is not the first night we’re hearing about this. I’m quite upset. I’m upset about what I’m hearing.”
DePinto said that it would be unrealistic to assign a police officer or parent to monitor the area behind the visitor’s bleachers, where dumping and urination is taking place.
The school currently provides portable toilet facilities, but they are located on the opposite end of the field near the home team’s bleachers in order to maintain a distance from residences. St. Joe’s attorney, Andy Del Vecchio, said that the school can provide more portable toilets as needed.
DePinto asked Del Vecchio and the school’s engineer and project planner, Daniel Kaufman, if anything could be done to physically keep visitors away from neighbors’ properties, suggesting that a fence or wall could be used to cordon off the area.
“The reality is you really want to make it less enticing for people,” said Kaufman, noting that dark, private areas encourage the lewd behavior. “You want to light it.”
His suggestion came shortly after several Montvale and
Woodcliff
Lake residents complained about the glare of portable lights currently on the St. Joe’s property and expressed concerns about increased light pollution as a result of the proposed lighting.
Del Vecchio said he would look at the problem before the next hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, and asked members of the planning board and board engineer Andrew Hipolit for input.
“Unless we can control this,” said DePinto, “I really question the expansion of the utilization of the property.”
Maggie Fazeli Fard's e-mail address is fazelifard@northjersey.com.
[ back ]
