Someone asked me today why River Park was closed last night and when I came home from my trip in town and to the DMV, I had an email from a Columbia Police Officer with some information as to what took place and what has taken place at the newly renovated park.
This alert didn't come from borough council, or a directive from that group, rather the police, who are trying to enforce the rules and keep the park as nice as possible.
Police said they have has parking issues since the park reopened in May, but Sunday and Monday nights it was extremely bad.
Sunday night, there were between 30 and 40 people including children sitting down at the park, waiting for the Wrightsville fireworks and doing a lot of nothing. Police explained the park is closed from dusk to dawn except for boat launching/.
Monday afternoon, police returned to the park and another large group had gathered, using the park for a little bit of everything. Around 8 p.m., police said they found a pile of dirty diapers in the middle of the grass field and other trash scattered throughout the park.
So police decided to put cones across the entrance to let people other and other boaters come in. Police told those at the park and many understood the park hours, but some complained as one officer took an an hour and 20 minutes to clear the park. During that time, people were driving around the cones that police had placed, past the "no trespassing" signs and crossed the railroad tracks at the bridge.
With the fireworks bursting in air, police finally cleared the park of the non-boaters from the water company to the canoe/kayak area.
Had police not stayed at the park, there would have been some serious issues with trash.
Police said across from the park under the bridge where Columbia stores its highway materials, there were also some trash issues, which eventually were cleaned up.
Police were too busy to check the condition of Rotary Park during the fireworks,
was spilled. It was too hot and dry out to not soak it up if they were not fresh. Anyway, I asked them to pick them up and they did, which was nice. It was too dark at Rotary Park to see what trash was left behind there. I never made it up there to get those people moving on.
Police said they were trying to enforce the rules and if some innovative vendor would have been down there for the fireworks and park area, they could have made some money as well.
13 comments:
First, it would make good sense to allow people to watch the fireworks from the park, even if it is a violation of the rules BUT, I have come to the conclusion the animals are taking over this town. These low life's, who can't possibly be human, have no respect for the personal rights and enjoyment of others. I took my dog for a walk two nights ago, and took a path I normally do not take, to the downtown area. I found that my dog was more behaved than the people I encountered. Obsentites ruled the streets. One young man was agruing with a young woman with three young children. There exchange, from about a 1/2 block away from each other was nothing but F you and F that. They seemed to care not that others were around. Another group of young animals were standing near the Turkey Hll on Chestnut Street with their pants and underwear so low that their rear ends were mostly visible to anyone in the area. Trash littered the gutters. Face it, until we do something about the amount of low rent properities in this town, this is the element we will attract. It is an outrage that our police, who the taxpayers (which I am sure do not include the scum I encountered)fund, are forced to spend their time babysitting the river park when there are more important tasks to attend to.
What did I comment earlier! It's just going to be trashed! Trash breeds trash !!! Its a shame that people think that they can just do what they want and other hard working, responsible people will take care of it. It's sad but its the way most of this people in town are raised. To take advantage and having the feeling like you are owed something..
i agree. most of the renters do not care, are not responsible and the majority of them can NOT speak or understand ENGLISH. the boro makes it too easy for these people to live in the boro.
Trash is a problem! I too, live in this town and I am often burdened with the cost of cleaning up an area where people come to swim in a hole (near my home). After they leave.. I find pizza boxes-shoes-beer and condoms. I have complained to the boro and nothing. Boro... hear our voices, help us out.. help our town become something other than names we don't like..
There are two ways to address this problem and the Boro needs to aggressively pursue both. First, Code Enforcement needs to crawl so far up EVERY landlord/slumlords ***, they will think they're getting a rectal exam. EVERY code violation needs to be pursued and brought into compliance. This will undoubtedly increase slumlord costs and either shut them down, or force them to raise their rents which will "raise the bar" on who lives in their units. Second, we need to revitalize the local economy. I know I'm stating the obvious, but if downtown is growing, there will be more demand for rentals (and someone might also start buying all of these properties for sale and live in them). Increased demand will raise the rent the slumlords charge (if they can get more, they will jump all over that) and again raise the bar and improve the town. As a side note, I don't care what anyone looks like or what language they speak. If they're working, paying their taxes, and helping improve town--welcome aboard!! There's plenty of "English-speakers" among the "scum" the previous posts describe, milking the system and dragging Columbia down.
I agree with ALL of the posts, even the comments about speaking english. We live in the U.S. and ALL should be required to speak english IF they want to live here. It becomes frustrating to deal with all of these issues and when they compound, EVERY LITTLE THING becomes HUGE, so I understand. Most of the issues addressed fall within the parameters of the "unofficial" group that has been established who wishes to clean up this town. I am sure Barry Ford could round us all up together for a meeting.
The borough needs to adopt some ordinances that address the way these kids/adults dress and speak. The police should be able to cite those who throw foul language around on the streets for passersby to hear or residents whose windows are 5 feet from these people. It is absolutely repulsive and if things don't change we will be moving within a few years. We have had enough of the Columbia trash and no longer wonder why people speak so ill of Columbia. I am willing to be part of the solution and have been on other levels.
Someone tell me when was the last time someone was cited for littering in Columbia? Unheard of.I agree we need to get our workers the hell out of the river park and attend to the other parts of town. All these other projects that were started before the river park are stagnet and getting us nowhare. Remember the hundred thousands of dollars we spent on road paving equipment and we were told that was the answer for Columbia. Well where is the RESULTS? Can't be paving the streets when certin Council members are controling the Road department's Mananger. You want to talk about the Cod's department then hire code people that don't have ties with the citizens. Treat all taxpayers the same. Then it will change.
I believe if a non-political person sits on the board and speaks what the community say's-maybe we will be heard. I hate the word budget and the promise. Those two words are often tossed in every "political run statement", then we are all let down. If Columbia would post just what is expected of renters/landlords, Bsn Owners, and boro staff-we would have a better outlook for the future. It appears that town money is shot,.... but shot where? I am not getting any new streets, nor getting trash picked up...and I never see a enforcer? I believe its time to unite at the hall unannounced and voice our thoughts. Not aggressively, but rather honestly. I am only one voice, do I hear two?
Its those people from 5 other counties using the park im sure of it ,right madame president?
i agree. go to council meetings-there's one monday july 12 @ 7 pm. listen, they ALWAYS spend OUR money. that's the only way you'll know what they are spending on-they want to spend $ 125,000 on i believe, 2 new police cars + something else. they just hired 2 MORE PART TIME CODE OFFICERS. the code officers should be able to crack down on all these losers-maybe we as taxpayers need to appeal to the court system
we, as taxpayers, deserve better. instead of spending MILLIONS oF dollars on the RIVER PARK BULL SHIT- try REDOING OUT STREETS-I'M sick and tired of hearing ALL THE EXCUSES-the streets are deplorable and unacceptable. something MUST be done to them, they cost me and you a lot of money for front end alignments which are not cheap. WE NEED TO DEMAND SOME ACTION ON THIS UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE!
this is really interesting!, but it starts to get boring when eleven posts are named Anonymous! - Barry Ford is doing a great job with this blog (even though he's biased as hell and deletes some of the best ones!) - so let's all do Barry a favor and make his blog more interesting and exciting by at least picking some initials to identify ourselves with so that at least we can have some idea as to which one of the eleven anoymous's we are all talking to!!
pk
what DID happen to the road paving equipment? is it clean and stored for what - to never use it? it is truly a shame what this Boro has come to.
rr
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