ATVs Rile Upper

PETERSBURG – Upper Township Committee member Hobart Young briefed his colleagues and Mayor Richard Palombo April 29 about the spike in ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) driven by teenagers that are causing serious damage to Upper Township’s playing fields and other recreational facilities.
“The riders of these ATVs and also the dirt bikes involved who are mostly teenagers think it’s fun and funny to cut into the fields and leave behind ruts and other damage that cost a lot of time and money to fix,” said Young. This is happening all over the township and especially at Amanda’s Field and Caldwell Park.
“Should we put in signage that specifically says we’ll prosecute and make people more aware of the penalties and fines? Better illumination? More fencing? I’m asking committee members for their advice,” Young continued.
Township Solicitor Daniel Young noted, “We don’t need signage to prosecute. Anything or anybody that comes on private or other property, trespassing and causing damage is subject to our prosecution.
“What has worked in the past seems to be more public education through press releases and getting the word out to the parents who probably don’t even know what’s going on. In our public information, we can warn people that we are serious about prosecuting.”
Committee member Curtis Corson, who owns a campground in the municipality, recommended, “First, we need to positively identify who the perpetrators are. We have had similar experiences (at the campground) and installed video cameras to identify these people.
“Another way to identify them is to have someone immediately call the State Police who will come out right away and hopefully be able to apprehend them before they take off. We’ve also confiscated their ATVs and this also gets the message home. And we’ve published on Facebook photos and other identifying details offering a reward for learning who they are.”
A representative from New Jersey State Police, Woodbine Barracks, who attended the meeting as an observer, added, “It’s impossible to chase a dirt bike with a motorcycle. And if an injury is caused, that’s another issue.
“When people see an infraction, please call us immediately and we will try to apprehend these individuals. We also are totally open to meet with the township and see what’s the best strategy to improve the situation, including use of cameras.”
Palombo concluded, “We want and expect people to respect our fields and recreational facilities. Let’s take some positive action such as using any reallocation of unused funds for the better purpose of salvaging our fields, perhaps with installation of video cameras.
“We’ll be meeting with the troopers to see what their recommendations are. We’ll also be getting the word out more broadly that we intend to fix this problem and that it has to stop.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.