Honesdale: playgrounds, pension funds, traffic jams

LINDA DROLLINGER
Posted 8/21/12

HONESDALE, PA — At its June 13 borough council meeting, Honesdale considered a move to make its public playgrounds tobacco-free zones, as other Delaware River communities have done. Unlike some of …

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Honesdale: playgrounds, pension funds, traffic jams

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HONESDALE, PA — At its June 13 borough council meeting, Honesdale considered a move to make its public playgrounds tobacco-free zones, as other Delaware River communities have done. Unlike some of those other communities, however, Honesdale’s playgrounds will likely be completely smoke-free environments, with e-cigarettes also banned.

Following eloquent pleas by Tony Galante of the American Lung Association’s Pennsylvania Chapter and Wayne Memorial Hospital spokesperson Lisa Champeau, the council approved drafting of an ordinance that will ban smoking in the playgrounds of public borough parks. The ban is one aspect of the Young Lungs at Play initiative that seeks to provide clean-air environments for infants and children as it models nonsmoking behavior.

Citing the Surgeon General’s statement that no level of secondhand smoke is free of risk, Galante and Champeau noted that creating tobacco-free zones will also dramatically decrease the likelihood of accidental poisoning from ingestion of discarded cigarette butts and filters. It should likewise decrease the possibility of contracting disease from germ-laden butts and eliminate non-biodegradable cigarette litter.

Borough Solicitor Richard Henry was charged with providing language for the draft ordinance; review of that draft and a vote to advertise it prior to adoption is expected to take place at the June 20 council meeting.

In other business, finance committee member Jeremy Ebert said that a review of police pension fund investments has led to the conclusion that the fund could be at risk because of its current 100% market investment. The committee recommends a more conservative, diversified investment approach: 70% market and 30% fixed income.

Traffic was another topic of the day. Noting that continued police department understaffing has led to chronic traffic control issues, President Mike Augello said the problem has become so acute that the mayor and council members may have to take turns directing traffic. “I think there is some kind of training that leads to traffic direction certification,” said Augello.

That was confirmed by director of Public Works Rich Doney, who said he and his crew have already received the training and are now certified traffic directors. Doney went on to say the training could be completed in a one-day session, with council members, mayor, fire police and other borough officials attending.

Traffic issues are a particular challenge during special events, the Memorial Day Parade being the most recent example. And the summer season brings with it a number of special events that will require traffic control out of the ordinary. But even ordinary traffic control has become problematic.

Extraordinary Friday-night traffic jams have prompted a study of traffic signal syncopation along Route 6 between Texas Township malls and Main Street. Doney has been working with a traffic engineer to develop more effective timing of signals in that area. Study completed, the finding was unexpected: too great a concentration of traffic signals in a relatively small area.

The engineer suggested a GPS signal control system, which will automatically accommodate for varying traffic flow. But Doney considers the $10,000-plus cost of installation prohibitive. And before installation could take place, the borough must first petition PennDOT for the change.

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