Downtown Business Owners Bring
Frustration to City Council
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
It’s time for the taxpaying citizens to start having some control of our city again.
Steve Cavallaro made that statement to Bradford City Council on behalf of himself and several other downtown business owners who are fed up with loitering, bad language, bicycle and skateboard riding on sidewalks, and other types of bad behavior.
Cavallaro of Cavallaro Paint and Decorating; Kathy Obermeyer of Real Living Avista Properties; Todd Hennard, owner of the Main Street Mercantile and other buildings; and Nancy Graham, owner of The Tin Ceiling Gift Shoppe, presented council with a proposal that they hope would transfer control back to the business owners and their customers.
“We don’t even feel like we have any control over what’s going on downtown, yet we’re the ones paying the lion’s share …” he said, adding that they would like to see more police foot patrols, and enforce the ordinances that are already in the books.
“It’s getting ridiculous with kids on the bicycles, the skateboarders up and down the street all day long --- loitering in doorways of businesses …”
"It’s getting to the point where you feel you can’t do anything nice anymore without your property being violated or getting told to -- ‘go jump in the lake’ is a nice way of putting it,” he said.
Cavallaro, Obermeyer, Hennard and Graham did all say they appreciated the work the police department is doing; they are just hoping for more of a presence on Main Street.
Cavallaro added that they just want to get “our sidewalks and streets under control.”
And if the police have to impose fines?
“Hey, it’s more revenue for the city,” he said, adding that he’d rather see those people get a fine rather than one of his patrons get a parking ticket for parking in front of his store.
Obermeyer said, “I can’t even describe what’s going on anymore. It is just absolutely pathetic.”
She said she’s not just speaking for herself.
“This is a conversation I’ve had over and over and over again with people who live in this community,” she said, adding “It’s not knocking the police station in any form.”
Hennard said he was out of town Friday and when he drove back into town he quickly went from being happy to being embarrassed.
He was happy that the hotels were filled and Bradford drew such a crowd for the events over the weekend. But he was embarrassed by the antics he saw downtown – people screaming at each other, stumbling down the street with open beer cans, whipping pop bottles against buildings.
“We don’t have the answers,” he said. “We’re coming to you saying, ‘What can be done?’ We’re at our wit’s end.”
Graham said she’s had customers come into her store asking what’s happening on Main Street.
“They don’t understand just the presence of all the crazy people on Main Street,” she said.
“We’re fed up,” Graham said. “Penalize a few of them. Give a few of them a fine, and I think word will get out.”
After the business people, and a few others, spoke on the issue, Mayor Tom Riel said there are concerns about Main Street but he said council cannot address many of those concerns.
“You can’t regulate the F-word on Main Street. You can’t regulate somebody who has too many tattoos – or they’re too cheap or they’re too ugly or the image on the tattoo. You can’t … pass an ordinance to require a certain amount of dental care that someone might have. You can’t regulate strollers. The Supreme Court makes it almost impossible to prosecute somebody for loitering,” Riel said.
He said Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Director Ron Orris is leading an effort to have surveillance cameras installed on Main Street, the side streets and alley ways. Riel suggested that concerned citizens contribute to that effort.
Police Chief Chris Lucco, who is in favor of the surveillance cameras, said, “The bigger problem is the caliber of people. We can’t do much about that.”
“If they know they are being watched, they’re less likely to misbehave and if they can’t be there misbehaving, they might not be there,” Lucco said.
He also encouraged people to contribute to the surveillance camera effort.
Listen here. (includes a discussion about tattoos/tattoo parlors)
The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...
since 1947
WESB/WBRR News Director
It’s time for the taxpaying citizens to start having some control of our city again.
Steve Cavallaro made that statement to Bradford City Council on behalf of himself and several other downtown business owners who are fed up with loitering, bad language, bicycle and skateboard riding on sidewalks, and other types of bad behavior.
Cavallaro of Cavallaro Paint and Decorating; Kathy Obermeyer of Real Living Avista Properties; Todd Hennard, owner of the Main Street Mercantile and other buildings; and Nancy Graham, owner of The Tin Ceiling Gift Shoppe, presented council with a proposal that they hope would transfer control back to the business owners and their customers.“We don’t even feel like we have any control over what’s going on downtown, yet we’re the ones paying the lion’s share …” he said, adding that they would like to see more police foot patrols, and enforce the ordinances that are already in the books.
“It’s getting ridiculous with kids on the bicycles, the skateboarders up and down the street all day long --- loitering in doorways of businesses …”
"It’s getting to the point where you feel you can’t do anything nice anymore without your property being violated or getting told to -- ‘go jump in the lake’ is a nice way of putting it,” he said.
Cavallaro, Obermeyer, Hennard and Graham did all say they appreciated the work the police department is doing; they are just hoping for more of a presence on Main Street.
Cavallaro added that they just want to get “our sidewalks and streets under control.”
And if the police have to impose fines?
“Hey, it’s more revenue for the city,” he said, adding that he’d rather see those people get a fine rather than one of his patrons get a parking ticket for parking in front of his store.
Obermeyer said, “I can’t even describe what’s going on anymore. It is just absolutely pathetic.”
She said she’s not just speaking for herself.
“This is a conversation I’ve had over and over and over again with people who live in this community,” she said, adding “It’s not knocking the police station in any form.”
Hennard said he was out of town Friday and when he drove back into town he quickly went from being happy to being embarrassed.
He was happy that the hotels were filled and Bradford drew such a crowd for the events over the weekend. But he was embarrassed by the antics he saw downtown – people screaming at each other, stumbling down the street with open beer cans, whipping pop bottles against buildings.
“We don’t have the answers,” he said. “We’re coming to you saying, ‘What can be done?’ We’re at our wit’s end.”
Graham said she’s had customers come into her store asking what’s happening on Main Street.
“They don’t understand just the presence of all the crazy people on Main Street,” she said.
“We’re fed up,” Graham said. “Penalize a few of them. Give a few of them a fine, and I think word will get out.”
After the business people, and a few others, spoke on the issue, Mayor Tom Riel said there are concerns about Main Street but he said council cannot address many of those concerns.
“You can’t regulate the F-word on Main Street. You can’t regulate somebody who has too many tattoos – or they’re too cheap or they’re too ugly or the image on the tattoo. You can’t … pass an ordinance to require a certain amount of dental care that someone might have. You can’t regulate strollers. The Supreme Court makes it almost impossible to prosecute somebody for loitering,” Riel said.
He said Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce Director Ron Orris is leading an effort to have surveillance cameras installed on Main Street, the side streets and alley ways. Riel suggested that concerned citizens contribute to that effort.
Police Chief Chris Lucco, who is in favor of the surveillance cameras, said, “The bigger problem is the caliber of people. We can’t do much about that.”
“If they know they are being watched, they’re less likely to misbehave and if they can’t be there misbehaving, they might not be there,” Lucco said.
He also encouraged people to contribute to the surveillance camera effort.
Listen here. (includes a discussion about tattoos/tattoo parlors)
The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...since 1947
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Comments
Something needs to be done about downtown. I will not even go to the movie theater because of the children. There is something to the comment, "if my children ever acted that like it would be last time they sat for a while."
The problem needs to start at home, get generations off of welfare! The original program TANF introduced by Roosevelt was meant to provide Temporary Assistance lasting no more than two years.
Make families responsible for their children. No child under the age of 12 should be downtown unsupervised. There has to be a law about it.
Put up no Loitering signs, then the police can do something. Enforce a dress code. I shouldn't have to cover my childrens eyes, what about lewd behavior too? I want to teach my children about sex not the locals.
It doesn't matter if you are a suit making six figures income or a welfare leech that never worked a day in your life. The problem is the misconduct and lack of respect. It's just that simple. Ask the suit to dress down and you might see an arm or a chest full of tattoos. Or ask that welfare leech why he's on welfare and he may have a legit reason... Enforce the law. The bums and the delinquent children and teens in this town need to be addressed from a whole new way of thinking and a completely restructured social system called positive parenting. Be free, be American... But abide by the laws and have some respect! Stop passing the freaking buck and stop claiming that you are the grand solution of it all...
I'M BOB PRICE!
SEE YOU AT THE MEETING IN AUGUST!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150989166698922&set=a.10150116040258922.294461.662288921&type=1&theater¬if_t=comment_mention
This is a town where an art show runs in conjunction with a motorcycle show.
Everyone is laughing about this article.
PROTIP: They're not laughing WITH you.
1. The parents need to teach their children to respect one another and the surrounding facilities. Without proper guidance the children run rampant in the streets. However unfortunatley we cannot control how people raise their children, but we can control what goes on in the streets.
2. The cops need to enforce the rules of the city. If infractions are being done, then enforce the punishment. I don't care how old or young the children are. Rules are rules, and they aren't going to understand that there are consequences for breaking them if they never get fined. I understand taxpayers dollars pay for the gas, and maintenence on police vehicles. Bradford is NOT that big of a town where we can't have good old fashion cops WALKING the streets to enforce the laws.
3. By us judging people on how they look, what they wear, how many tattoos or piercings they have, only teaches the future generation to judge as well. It's true looks can be deceiving but if you take a closer look and actually talk to those sporting the "offensive" things, you will find that 99% of them are regular people with jobs, a family and a upstanding citizen.
4. I DO NOT LIVE IN BRADFORD! But I can tell you as far back as I can remember, I have ALWAYS heard bad things about the town. It's not just recently, it been years. And to alienate certain businesses now, is wrong. It's not any ONE business that is causing the town to fail, it is a collaboration of things that need to be addressed!
5. Businesses do need to be responsible for what goes on inside their store and at their store front. If the actions of people are obviously offending others, then they need to be removed. If you can't make them move, then call the police and have appropriate actions taken.
BRADFORD could be a wonderful town if given the chance to succeed. And the change starts now, with you acknowledging that their are problems and finging solutions to them.
~Donna~
As far as the "druggies" or "Dealers" walking Main Street, most of the people I know that do drugs WORK FULL TIME JOBS and SELL for extra money. Newflash: Poor uneducated people that aren't dressing approprietly are not the source of the drug problem. WHY? They don't have money. They don't have vehicles to get drugs and they're not capable of doing enough math to understand half of what goes into drugs/dealing. These "druggies" on Main Street that you're referring to that are involved with drugs are going to one place and that's the HISTORIC RIDDLE HOUSE BUILDING located in HISTORICAL DOWNTOWN BRADFORD where they hook it up in more ways than one for little or no money.
People riding skateboards and bicycles? I agree with at least people are going "green" because if we don't start taking care of the planet now there will be no planet. At least these people are taking care of their bodies which in turn helps our evolution while avoiding use of our planets resources that we are running very low on and will be out of someday. Hopefully the Store owners of Main Street will be old and disabled by then and they can't drive anywhere because their generation has used all of our planets resources without replenishment or balance of them and they have to WALK on MAIN STREET like the poor/uneducated/MR/people to go somewhere and they have nowhere to stop and sit in their old age because they decided twenty years ago it was wrong to sit on a bench on a public street in a small city. When you're old and frail store owners of Bradford and I see you when I'm in my prime walking down Main Street and you're acting out because you're SUFFERING FROM A MENTAL DISORDER LIKE DIMENTIA or Alzheimers and all you want is a drink or to sit down in from of the closest store front and relax for a minute I'll remember this article and I will tell you to move and call the cops.
To end this. I've always supported small business and despise Walmart for being a monopoly but open your eyes. Wal Mart has people loitering and walking around buying nothing all day and they can do that to kill time in this town. No one ever tells them to shoo. Why? They might buy something. If you have enough time to worry about what's going on out front of your business and you think it's affecting what you have to offer to the public with your business you're wrong. If I really liked something I would go anywhere to get it regardless of whats going on outside so maybe the people ON MAIN STREET aren't the problem... Eh?