Invasion of the Anti-Soccer Moms

They complained to police to no avail. So on October 3, a group of Bethlehem Township residents marched into the Municipal Building and demanded Commissioners to do something. Kathy Vaught even presented a petition signed by 45 people who live in Bethlehem Estates, one of the Township's swankier neighborhoods. As she spoke, several of her supporters shouted out from the peanut gallery.

What has them all up in a lather?

Eleven year-old girls.

These young ladies, and some of them are even younger, play soccer with Lehigh Valley Magic every Saturday at a 6.59-acre park nestled at the end of Anthony Court in Bethlehem Estates. There's a small parking lot at the park, and those unable to fit in there are forced to park up and down the street.

It's a situation you see every weekend in many Lehigh Valley neighborhoods, especially the landlocked older boroughs. And guess what? The people who live there love it! It's what makes a neighborhood a neighborhood.

Vaught told Commissioners that before spending over $700,000 to buy her home, she was concerned about the small park located next to it. She was assured it was for open space. "If I had known that 150 people are going to be there every weekend, I never would have bought," she complained, adding that "the noise is absolutely ridiculous on weekends."

Games start at the ungodly hour of 1:30 PM.

Perhaps Vought would prefer the open space brought by a heavily-manured cornfield, especially when the wind is blowing her way. How about a skatepark frequented by kids with purple hair, piercings and tattoos? I doubt Vaught and her $700,000 neighbors would have to worry about all those bothersome parents.

Vaught is particularly troubled by a portable toilet located in the the small parking lot. Apparently, little girls who play soccer occasionally use a toilet.

As a result of her own investigation, Vaught learned that the Township only charges $20 per week to rent the field. She told Commissioners that was a ridiculously low rental. "If the Bulldogs [a youth football program] get a hold of something like this, I don't know what will happen."

They might use two port-a-potties. Or worse, none.

Township Manager Howard Kutzler explained that an arrangement was made with LV Magic for one team of 11-and-under girls to play at that pocket park for one season because they were too late for the main soccer fields on Farmersville Road.

"It does saturate that little area," remarked Commissioner Tom Nolan, referring to the parking situation and not the use of port-a-potties.

Maybe the rules are different for people who live in $700,000 homes and wealthy neighborhoods, but isn't a park intended for the public? Is the laughter and screams of 11-year old girls, and the cheers from their parents, all that annoying? One afternoon a week? Shouldn't we encourage our children to engage in this kind of healthy activity, even if it is next to a $700,000 home?

Let the kids play. It's good for them, and Vought might learn that the sense of community could make her $700,000 house seem more like a home.