Manchester Council Scraps Ordinance Revising Recreation Rules, For Now

The Manchester Township Council rejected an ordinance on first reading that would have revised the town’s recreation regulations.

Partly in response to complaints stemming from conflicts over the use of facilities at Pine Lake Park last summer, township officials set to work revising the recreation regulations.

But when it came time to vote on first introduction of the ordinance, Councilman Samuel Fusaro said he felt it needed more work.

“I don’t think it addresses the issue we wanted it to address,” Fusaro said. “I think there are a lot of issues that need to be cleaned up.”

Among his concerns were a lack of definition of where fishing areas would be -- “we say you need a beach badge to fish but we never say where you can fish,” he said -- and a proposal to charge late fees for program sign-ups, such as for the township’s summer camp.

“Usually these programs fill up pretty quickly,” Fusaro said. Even if they’re not full, he didn’t see a purpose for making someone pay a late fee.

“Why should we punish someone who maybe was away when the camp signups happened?” Fusaro said. “We’re not a business trying to make money.”

Council Vice President Brendan Weiner, who chaired the meeting due to the absence of Council President Craig Wallis, said he too had concerns about the fees, specifically the ones for beach badges. Weiner suggested the daily badges be priced in such a way that they don’t discourage township residents who have friends or family visiting from out of town from using the park.

“We want as much marketing of our parks as possible,” Weiner said.

Township Clerk Sabina Skibo suggested the council vote to reject the ordinance on first reading, saying it could be reintroduced fresh in the new year -- a suggestion the council took.

“It’s a great start, but it needs more work than what could be written in here,” Fusaro said.