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Residents urge hydrant clearing, code enforcement and downtown improvements at Palmyra council meeting
Summary
During two public-comment periods residents pressed the council for stronger enforcement on sidewalks and hydrant clearing, better coordination with large parking lots during storms, and suggested zoning tools to spur Main Street investment.
Multiple residents used the Feb. 10 public-comment periods to press the Palmyra Borough Council on sidewalk clearing, buried fire hydrants and downtown blight.
Speakers urged ordinance changes to require property owners to clear hydrants and to coordinate with churches and larger lots to remove on-street parking during storms so plows can clear to the curb. Phil Ziders presented photos he said showed windrows obstructing sidewalks. Annette Gerhardt, who identified herself as the owner of the property at 62 West Main Street, encouraged the borough to pursue downtown-improvement grants and questioned why some junk/abandoned vehicles remain parked on public streets.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and said the solicitor will review what legal steps the borough may take. One councilor suggested grouping several proposed ordinance changes for solicitor review at once to reduce legal costs.
In a separate comment, Ryan Kelly, a long-serving zoning board member, recommended exploring an economic-development overlay district to help incentivize Main Street investment as an alternative to broad zoning changes.
Council asked staff to research legal constraints and to consider bundled ordinance drafting for solicitor review. No immediate ordinance was introduced at the meeting.
