With warmer temperatures and increased hours of daylight, more and more youth are utilizing the village of Dolgeville’s basketball court. And with the good of giving young adults a healthy outlet for physical activity, comes the bad of increased garbage and trash.
“The backboards are up, and I have asked the kids utilizing the basketball area to keep it clean,” said Department of Public Works Superintendent Paul Nagle. “I asked the kids to pick up any trash that they see, and to keep doing that, or the backboards will come down.”
Nagle also asked that people refrain from bending the rims, as the breakaway rims that were previously in place are in disrepair.
“These are the older backboards and rims, and they are not breakaway rims, meaning if someone hangs on them they will bend,” he said. “You can only reinforce them so much, so if we run into problems we will have to take them down and then everyone will suffer.”
“For the most part the kids follow the rules,” said Mayor Bruce Lyon. “But it’s like everything else, a few ruin it for the many. I hope the kids will follow the rules and keep the area clean, because I do not want to see everyone suffer because of the actions of a small group.”
Nagle added that “keeping it clean” pertains to the language used by the youth playing on the court.
“I’m serious about this, as the last time I was at the court there was a family with three small children nearby, and you should have heard the language being used,” he said. “We are not going to accept foul language or trash at the basketball court. The kids have to follow the rules.”
At last month’s meeting of the Dolgeville Central School District Board of Education, students T.J. Scharpou and Zach Goyette asked the board about possibly utilizing the basketball courts at the elementary school, as they had concerns with the condition of the village court.
“Basketball is a way to keep kids out of trouble, and to help them stay active,” said Scharpou, adding that 10 to 20 students would likely participate and play five-on-five basketball throughout the summer, if they had a place to do so. He also said they would have adult supervision.
Dolgeville Elementary School Principal Christine Reynolds said she would work with the parent-teacher organization to help them.
She asked that the students provide her with an idea of what they would need to get the program up and running.
In other business Monday:
•Fire Chief Roger Cromer reported that the department responded to seven calls in the month of April, including responses to one structure fire and one grass fire with the Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department.
•The board approved the formation of an ad hoc committee to address the ongoing water meter issue in the village. The board had previously suggested the formation of such a committee after last month’s public hearing, and sent letters out to the residents who attended the meeting. That said, the board is still asking that anyone interested serving on the committee contact Village Clerk Tammy Chmielewski at 429-3112.