Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Salem supervisors on speeding and blight enforcement; board weighs legal options
Summary
After a vehicle destroyed a resident’s fence and complaints about long‑running nuisance properties, residents urged speed‑mitigation and stronger enforcement; the solicitor will check legality of speed bumps and the board declined an escrow ordinance after public objection.
Resident concerns about speeding, damaged private property and long‑standing nuisance properties featured in new business at Salem Township’s Feb. 18 meeting.
Don Bosley, a Sears Drive resident of 48 years, told supervisors his fence was destroyed by a vehicle and said people are not slowing despite a new stop sign. Bosley suggested speed bumps, a cul‑de‑sac or using the township’s portable "your speed is" radar sign to slow traffic. Emergency Management and Code Enforcement Officer Fred Cecchini asked Solicitor Muscante whether speed bumps are permitted on municipal roads; the solicitor said he would confirm legal permissibility and noted other communities have installed devices on local roads.
The board reviewed ongoing code‑enforcement cases where nuisance and junk ordinances have reached their enforcement limits, including several properties with accumulated trash and one or more burned structures. Supervisors discussed, but did not advance, an ordinance proposal that would have allowed collection of a 10% escrow from insurance proceeds for burned dwellings; attendees opposed the proposal and the board decided not to adopt it at this time.
Kerry Jobe said amending the nuisance ordinance to allow the township to pursue abatement through the courts for abandoned, hazardous properties may be considered. The solicitor will report back on the legality of speed‑calming measures and any changes to the nuisance/junk ordinance will return to the board for further consideration.
