Gettysburg Borough Council began to tackle bus parking, code enforcement ticketing, the sidewalk ordinance, tow fees, and Stevens Run retaining walls during its February workshop.
Borough workshops are held for the council, staff, and public to discuss issues before they are brought to a vote. No resolutions were reached in regards to the sidewalk ordinance, code enforcement ticketing, and Stevens Run; but the body did make progress on tow fees and bus parking.
Bus parking
Since General Pickett’s Buffet on Steinwehr Avenue’s southern border closed in 2022, buses full of hungry tourists have circled the borough looking for a place to park.
Last summer, the borough council approved a 90-day pilot program that set aside some spaces for vehicles that do not fit into a normal-sized spot. The program was deemed ineffective due to insufficient data.
This year, the council plans to conduct another pilot program which will greatly expand businesses’ ability to reserve parking meters. A proposal presented by Borough Council President Matthew Moon will allow restaurants with a seating capacity of 50 or greater to reserve several meters for up to 12 hours a day when they expect buses. Bus parking will be allowed on the square and the borough’s main streets. The price of a bag will be determined by the cost of parking in the space for 12 hours. Borough parking rates are determined by where the meter is located.
Moon said the proposal states spaces can only be reserved for buses and not general restaurant traffic. Restauranteurs will be encouraged to ask borough staff to remove meter bags when buses leave even though the business will pay for the bag for the entire day.
Moon acknowledged the new pilot program may not be popular with smaller businesses but added he believed a trial was necessary for passenger safety.
“It’s hard to find a balance that meets the needs of customers for small businesses while safely unloading nine buses of children,” he said.
If council approves the pilot program during its March meeting, it will run from March 25 to June 22. All borough residents and business owners are encouraged to share feedback with the council during the program, Moon said.
“We have a very busy season ahead of us and we have to get through it together,” Moon said.
Nancy Gudmestad, owner of the Shriver House Museum on Baltimore Street, told the council that she has managed meter bags near her business for over 20 years. Recently, borough staff said they must place and remove the bags. Moon said Chief Robert Glenny, who was absent from the meeting, told him controlling meter bags is a police action that cannot be administered by a citizen.
Code enforcement ticketing
Code Enforcement Officer Peter Griffioen wants the council to enact a friendlier approach to compliance enforcement.
Griffeon hopes to give violators a ticket instead of a citation to save them time and money. Tickets can be paid directly to the borough whereas citations must be paid through the district magistrate. The magistrate adds fees that significantly increase the cost to the violator.
Borough Manager Charles Gable said the program’s goal is to issue zero tickets and instead start with no-cost warnings that lead to compliance.
“The point is not to come right out of the box and hammer people,” Gable said.
The council discussed the program at length and will continue to do so before drafting an ordinance. There are several outstanding issues, Gable said, that staff recommend addressing before creating the system. Currently, the borough does not have laws requiring tree debris removal as it does for snow removal. The council also must prioritize if infractions it deems more serious should have higher fees or compliance requirements than others.
Sidewalk ordinance
Many Gettysburg Borough sidewalks are in disrepair but navigating a fix might be trickier than walking on them.
Borough law states property owners must fix dilapidated sidewalks. The issue is not so straightforward, Moon said, when you consider several other factors that might lead to a sidewalk’s deterioration. Gable noted control of Lincoln Square’s Center Circler, the sidewalk repair program, stormwater management, sidewalk cutters, a-frame signs, the borough Shade Tree Ordinance, outdoor dining, and Lincoln Square management are all factors to consider when dealing with the sidewalk ordinance.
“Anytime we touch one of these, it will ripple out into ways we may not fully comprehend or predict,” Moon said.
Moon suggested the borough hire a professional firm to conduct a complete audit of the borough’s sidewalks and suggest steps to bring them into compliance. Borough Engineer Chad Clabaugh of C.S. Davidson estimated such an audit would cost $10,000 to $30,000 depending on the scope of work. The council will continue to discuss the issue at future workshops.
Recently, several property owners received a notification that their sidewalk is in disrepair but council directed staff not to enforce the ordinance while it attempts to resolve the issue.
Tow fees
Towing companies believe the borough law stating how much they can charge to remove vehicles when asked by borough police is too low and some are refusing to work with the borough.
Currently, companies can only charge $125 for tows that are not related to a crash, such as illegal parking. The council consented to raising that maximum fee to $175.
Crashes often require glass and hazardous material removal so the council consented to raising that minimum fee from $175 per hour to $250 for the first hour and $150 for subsequent hours.
The fee for tow calls that result in a vehicle not being towed is expected to remain $50. Council will formally vote on the proposal at its March meeting.
Stevens Run Channel Wall
At the end of the 2.5-hour workshop, council tackled another complicated but pressing issue – ownership of retaining walls along Stevens Run. Commonly known as The Tiber, Stevens Run is a 2.2 mile tributary of Rock Creek that winds its way through the borough.
Clabaugh told the council that several sections of the run’s retaining walls are failing. He estimates repairs would cost $1,700-$2,000 per linear foot. Much like the borough’s sidewalks, the biggest question is who is responsible for repairs.
Mike Malewicki, chair of the Gettysburg Borough Stormwater Authority, researched almost 100 years worth of borough council records and property deeds and still could not determine the answer.
In some cases, it is clear that the property owner must fix the wall. Other times, the borough has assumed responsibility. Stormwater Authority Member John Lawver, who served as township roadmaster and borough manager for many years, said the borough received a federal grant in the 1970s to fix several sections of the wall.
In the 1980s and 90s, the borough avoided preventative maintenance and only fixed the wall when it failed. The homeowner was not consulted, Lawver said – a practice that would not be deemed acceptable today.
Clabaugh told the council it must decide if it wants to assume ownership of the wall. If it does, homeowners would need to agree. Borough Solicitor Harry Eastman said law states the borough would then need to pay the homeowner fair market value for the easement.
“This is a monster of a topic,” Clabaugh said.
However, the topic cannot be avoided.
“Failure to do anything is not a good idea,” he added.
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.