Frm City of Bethlehem. - Starting at dawn on Saturday, September 5th, 2015 residents will need to show valid proof of residency (Driver’s License, utility bill, etc.) to officers stationed at each entrance to the park in order to enter the park. Pavilion permit holders will display their permit and guests of permit holders will be required to provide the last name of the permit holder to the officers stationed at each entrance. This policy will be enforced through the weekend and until dusk on Monday, September 7th, 2015 at which point normal park operations will resume.
For additional information, please contact Ralph Carp, Director of Parks/ Public Property at 610-865-7080.
47 comments:
feel conflicted on this one. if it were a rich suburban community, i'd be outraged, but Bethlehem...not so much. wonder why?
Given what has been reported at Penn Pump Park and at Saucon as well, I believe the government has a compelling state interest in preserving this asset.
If Bethlehem has received any state or federal money for the park's upkeep, I question whether their restriction would survive a court challenge.
I believe Bethlehem has a compelling state interest in preserving the park from outsiders who have demonstrated utter disregard for public property. Nothing prevents reasonable regulation designed to prevent damages. Unfortunately, this is necessary. I also oppose ALL booze at public parks. They are not places for people to get loaded.
Why is alcohol allowed in Allentown's Lehigh Parkway every weekend?
Anybody know?
Sounds like the director of parks needs to jump back into the Saucon Creek.
Sounds like the director of the parts is a hero.
What parts? Are they private?
I believe the carp is found primarily in lakes of other large bodies of fresh water.
Saucon park is utilized by many minorities. I am definitely in the minority as a Caucasian when I take my family to the park. Some of the things I witnessed were; changing a baby's diaper on the picnic tables, washing the diapers in the creek, letting food uncovered on the table (drawing all kind of insects), loud music and very boisterous picnickers, very bad language. This was by all patrons, both minority and white. This park seems to draw the dirty and uncouth. Why don't we have this problem at our other parks?
Why is Bethlehem paying full time police officers overtime more than fifty dollars per hour, when they could hire retired police at on third the cost for the same type of secutity. Keep spending taxpayers money its easy to come by.
Let's face it. Saucon Park is easy in easy out for the North Jersey primarily Latin crowd. Why don't they force their local communities to build a nice park or two? That way it will be their tax dollars, not ours, that will be spent policing and cleaning it up.
Carp eh diem. Fish every day.
When I was a kid in Hellertown, I , we used to hang out quite a bit at Saucon Park. Lots of good memories.
Bethlehem and Allentown and Palmer dislike minorities they see as dirty. They're making it up as they go along. This is akin to a poll tax or literacy test. They just figure out of staters won't pursue legal action. They're probably correct. It's a great day for democracy.
The majority of the problem people are Hispanic. I suggest that they all be directed to Scott park in Easton. Mayor Panto will be thrilled to have the parking meters being filled and he can continue his campaign of trying to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens. besides, most Hispanics start driving at age 14 anyway.
I.N.N.A....Have you seen the mess created by this NJ/NY (license plates reveal that) invasion? The mess created is incredible. The actions listed above are repeated all over the park every weekend. It's just way too much to keep up with. After repeated vandalism of bathrooms in disgusting ways, the move to port-o-potties didn't go so well - they were treated so disgustingly that the port-o-potty company refused to service the park. Maybe I.N.N.A wants clean the bathrooms for $7.50/hr if he's so inclined. See how long he keeps thinking that way.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing this. The problem is not Hispanics or Latinos. The problem is outsiders who are filling a park beyond its capacity to be a park. A federal park does not hesitate to close once it is at capacity. The park is not completely closed to outsiders, who can pay to rent a pavilion. Whether a park is publicly funded should not matter. I look at this as a stop gap measure to prevent the park's destruction. Over the winter, Dave Colver in Palmer and Bob Donchez in Bethlehem can try to come up with a plan to allow everyone the park.
One possibility is a mandatory park civility course, instructed by K Deirdre Dolan. Anyone who survives is in.
Hopefully the elected officials will rethink this silly plan before its too late.Admit Your mistakes and move on
I think years ago Tatamy had a sign up for residents only, I think it was taken down but not sure why.
Me fooka no care u honkie pig. close da batrooms i we sheet on da groun. is no us do dis stuf it be da ousiders. keepa dem oit.
8:20 wake up dude. it's turning into a slop hole. getting control back is needed so bad. this is correct, legal, and very popular.
It is a disgusting display of ethnic "pride" in Saucon Park. Stoped going years ago.
Bethlehem does what it wants and begs for what it needs.
It is an attempt to prevent the several buses a day that have decended upon the park throughout the weekend. The park can't handle the unexpected numbers.
6:20,
Like staking?
Did the puppet master JM tell booby d he could do this? RC, AKA "little napoleon" is getting his jollies here.
Wow! Maybe Bethlehem needs to take Saucon Park off the PA Visitors Guide webpage then. Here people in metropolitan areas work hard all week and found something beautiful to enjoy close by and Bethlehem is taking it away from them. Does Saucon Park receive state funds? county funds? federal funds? Does the state stock the creek with fish? What if people from outside Bethlehem and PA residents want to enjoy the park. Hmm....sounds like some people's rights are being violated since this Bethlehem park I'm sure is not self funded by Bethlehem. Maybe the race in November should cancel having it at Saucon Park since Bethlehem doesn't want outsiders. Don't see Bethlehem banning outsiders at Musikfest even though there are drunks, litter and crime,etc... Maybe just have a number limit of guests at the park. Then they should have a flyer and offer the guests another place to go after the limit is filled. It'd be a shame after traveling a long distance to have to return home. Some people may get mad about this. A flyer offering other choices to visitors with directions after limit is filled may be appreciated. Nockamixon for example, Hugh Moore Park, the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas are beautiful, let's share.
8:12,
You are dead wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!! The whole problem revolves around filthy hispanic and latinos being exactly what they are - less than human
@7:04,
How about if they send them to your house?
Fire at will
People are like water as they will seek the path of least resistance.
The problem lies in the fact that their actions will turn our parks into the parks they drove by to get here. We will be left with sterile sidewalks with a nice view and an entrance fee. Look but don't touch.
The meek shall inherit the parks. . . Yeah if there’s anything left by the time I’m done with it!
Take it one step further and alternate day's of visitors by ethnicity / skin color. Is this the society we've become?
We've become a society in which cowards lack the personal responsibility to stand behind their words. There is nothing about this decision aimed at doing anything other than preserving a precious asset.
The racial undertones here and on other media outlets tell the true story!
"There is nothing about this decision aimed at doing anything other than preserving a precious asset."
Reads like George Wallace protecting precious Alabama public schools.
There are going to be trolls like you who will try to make this a racial issue, and there will be racists who slam different groups. Neither of you sign your names. There is a compelling state interest in preserving parks against those who would destroy them. We spend precious tax dollars to preserve natural resources. I'd prefer to see the park closed when it is at capacity, regardless whether they are residents or nonresidents. But I see nothing wrong with limiting park se to residents as a stop gap measure to deal with what is really an emergency.
I hope my comment at 9:17 was not taken to have any racial undertones. The point being that there are folks willing to spend the money to drive past parks which:
1. Don't allow smoking
2. Don't allow booze
3. Don't let you jump off dams. Or put yourself in a position to sue the muni when you break your neck.
4. Have a staff onhand to enforce these rules.
Methinks that the parks on this side of the river will now adopt and enforce these rules in essence turning our parks into the same ones they passed on their way here. It is not about the "bucolic" setting. It is about gettin my drink on and my smoke on then jumping into the water hazard. Bottom line. I can have more fun in PA since the Fun Police didn't follow me across state lines.
Moreover this may be a cultural issue. How do other cultures view natural resources?
Discuss
these people's culture is to trash everything they can and to show exactly no respect to real humans
Your culture is apparently to trash other people's cultures and show no respect to them. Like I said, this issue brings out bigots and trolls.
No booze and no smoking would help keep the locusts out.
1:52,
but at least honest
I am Hispanic and have always respected the park. When I go there during the week with my children I have them pick up litter and put it in trash cans. I have family that comes to visit once or twice a month from Queens NY and we enjoy cooking out at the park on week-ends. They are coming for Labor day and now am I to tell them that my family can go to the park and they have to stay at my place. I would say not. Looks like I can't enjoy a park in my own city. Donchez is quick to say he grew up on the southside but does he care about the people that live here now. Remember how he keeps turning his back on the southside come next election.
@3:36: hispanics (most) don't give a shit nor do they vote on election day. If you did, we'd all be speaking spanish...
4:01, and on public assistance
If Jim Gregory hadn't been robbed of the mayoral seat by devious Bob Donchezes these poor wetbaxks would be free to sip modelo in peace under the trees of saucon park
Greggy was a swarthy lothario who appealed to Latino voters because he can dance and sing(somewhat) now that he gets out in the fall booby d will have to vacate office because Greggy knows how to get his coup on
I think people who do not live in close proximity to the park, nor have been to the park, when there has been this recent and increasing mass chaos of summer weekend visitors(and overcrowding), are confusing and incorrectly equating this as a racial issue/decision. This is NOT about the color of their skin, nor economic status, nor "those Jersey people" invading our parks. Its about low class, self-centered, disrepectful people who come to the park, and DESTROY an asset and burdening the City and its taxpayers holding the repair bill---not the color of their skin. While NOT ALL of the Saucon "non-Pennsylvania" visitors exhibit disrespectful behavior at, or towards the park, many show blatant disregard to the posted no parking signs, the residents that live adjacent to the park, and towards the very facility they drive to. The problem is that too many of the visitors illegally park on the grass or next to the concrete barriers, where it clearly says no parking (which then makes for lovely dirt patches), or move barriers to make their own makeshift parking spots(which block the driving isles), as well park on the side residential streets blocking resident driveways(and then yell at the residents when they are asked not to block the driveway), block the traffic lanes (and then violently yell at those driving by who interrupt their party on the street), throw trash everywhere (adding cost for clean up and potential hazard to kids playing near broken glass), start making out while on the hoods of the cars (try responding to your toddler in the car when they ask"daddy/mommy, what are they doing on the car?").By the end of the weekend day, you can drive up and down the park and its perimeter and the side residential streets and see EXACTLY where the visitors parked and walked, and 'picnic-ed', because there is a trail of soiled baby diapers, empty beer cans, water bottles and plastic bags, and condoms resembling their footprints of their activities. They get out of their cars when they park (on the residential side street), and get changed outside, pee outside by the car, or make-out in public instead of waiting to get home. When you try and drive by to get to the side street, their cars are blocking the narrow isles, and they yell at the driver for wanting to drive by, and interrupt their gathering, which they have moved partially onto the street (as if THEY own the place). This blatant disrespectful behavior of a couple of dozens of the visitors, has ruined it for the rest of the parks visitors (who actually respect the park, and its residents.) The color of their skin is a NON-issue to Bethlehem. It is the way in which they treat the park, the significant cost to repair their vandalism and blatant disrespect for the park and the residents (and NOT the color of their skin) that Bethlehem has FINALLY decided to take action. I challenge anyone to drive by on the weekend and see first hand for themselves what it looks like, and then imagine being in the shoes of the City footing the bill with limited resources they have, or being in the shoes of a resident who is being impacted because they are adjacent to the park!
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