Navigating Gettysburg’s sidewalks can be tricky. Fixing the problem is equally challenging.
During their workshop on Monday, the borough council focused on two of the many issues surrounding sidewalks – stormwater management and tree damage. They also discussed two other heavily debated topics — the town’s sign ordinance and reserved parking spaces.
Stormwater management
When water flows from gutters, it often lands in the street before going into storm drains. To get there, it travels through sidewalk trenches. The borough does not currently regulate trench design, so the municipality has many styles. Council President Matthew Moon is concerned about some of them violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I cannot imagine a world in which the trenches are compliant,” Moon said.
Borough Engineer Chad Claybaugh of CS Davidson said trenches must meet ADA standards if the sidewalk is fixed. He estimates hundreds of properties would be affected if the borough mandated they all must meet ADA standards.
Councilperson Patti Lawson agreed the borough should regulate trench size but expressed concern about forcing homeowners to fix problematic areas. Lawson also noted some homeowners would benefit from trenches being fixed by utility companies while others would be forced to foot the bill themselves.
“That becomes an equity issue,” Lawson said.
Councilperson Chad-Alan Carr agreed and added that he believes the borough should pay for all trenches. However, Carr said, a tax increase would be necessary to fund such a large project.
“This is a big topic that is going to cost the borough and a lot of people a lot of money,” Moon said. “If we are not going to do anything, we should stop the process right now. We need to make decisions.”
Despite his plea, the council did not form a consensus on how to move forward.
Shade Trees
Property owners are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks in front of their buildings, even if the damage is caused by a tree the borough forced on them. To further complicate the issue, the borough council is often unaware when trees are planted.
Council agreed both problems need to be addressed.
The council concurred the Shade Tree Commission needs guidelines. The council appoints the commission’s members, but then they are set free to plant trees as they see fit.
“No one seems to be very happy with the processes in place with the Shade Tree Commission,” Borough Manager Charles Gable said.
Borough Solicitor Harold Eastman agreed, adding the Shade Tree Commission is not an autonomous governing body.
The council also decided that if a tree it plants damages a sidewalk, the borough will be responsible for its repair.
Sign Ordinance
The council has discussed revisions to the Gettysburg Borough Sign Ordinance for seven years, and now the borough wants input from local businesses.
Planning Director John Whitmore, who joined the borough staff in December, said he has been meeting with a working group to discuss possible changes. One proposal, Whitmore said, is to increase the maximum allowed size of signs.
Carr and Councilperson Peter Bales suggested adjusting a business’s maximum signage to 50 feet per facade. Moon disagreed, adding that alleys are only supposed to be used by the residents of a nearby street.
“The current ordinance reads 50 square feet per facade that faces an alley,” Linda Atiyeh, owner of several downtown businesses, said from the audience.
Moon added that the ordinance also says 50 square feet in total.
Whitmore said the draft of the sign ordinance also does not prohibit illuminated signs, such as those hanging in Blue & Gray Bar & Grill. The current law says such signs must be set back 12 inches from the window, but staff are proposing that the restriction be lifted.
Whitmore also suggested the sign ordinance be removed from the zoning law. By law, the Zoning Hearing Board can be the sole judge of variance requests.
“Sometimes those types of appeals boards will become a little fast and loose with granting variances for signage,” Whitmore said.
Whitmore plans to meet with Destination Gettysburg, Main Street Gettysburg, Steinwehr Avenue Business Improvement District, Gettysburg Area Retail Merchants Association, and the Gettysburg Borough Historic Architectural Review Board.
Parking bags
For many years, churches were allowed to place bags on meters near their house of worship indicating only churchgoers may park there. A few months ago, the borough outlawed the bags and the response was negative.
Parking Manager Becka Fissel presented several options to the council, including permanent signs that state only people with a disability can park near the church on Sundays. The restriction would apply to anyone with a disability, not just those attending church services. Another option was to place a temporary sign near the church outlining the same restriction.
Carr opposed the proposal, pointing out that businesses cannot reserve spaces near their establishment.
“I think we should charge the churches just like everyone else,” Carr said.
Councilperson Chris Berger disagreed.
“For a lot of Americans, it is the most important hour of the week – the most important hour. It is not like going to get a hamburger,” Berger said.
Council members also expressed concerns that motorists might not realize the restrictions are only for Sundays. They directed staff to revisit their proposals for discussion at a future meeting.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.
Good job !
Very well intentioned issues. Wholesale ignored is the soon to be felt EXTREME Climate Change issues and how the Region/Gettysburg Area will be forced to to deal with it. Proactive is a much than reactive. EXTREME deluges of rain/ drought-wild fires-homeless issues/Unrelenting heatwaves-cooling centers/immigration issues from unlivable Southern USA and Mexico-Central America/job adjustment due to these issues/Heat island effect-downtown-exacerbated by the proposed apartment complex/tree-shade (artificial shade nets) over the sidewalks. None of this seems to be on the “radar”.