Allegheny Township supervisor donates $2,500 for gate to help curb vandalism in Finnin Park

A recently elected Allegheny Township supervisor said complaints he received from residents during his bid for office about damage done to Finnin Park by people using all-terrain vehicles after hours aren’t going unheeded.

To begin to address the problem, Supervisor James Morabito donated $2,500 to install a gate at the park’s entrance.

“The way the park is arranged, kids can drive the whole way back at night and not be visible,” Morabito said. “During my campaign, neighbors in that area said the problem has been increasing over the years and they wanted something done about it. I didn’t run for office to just listen. I ran because I wanted to get things done.”

Morabito said the township budgeted $3,000 for the gate but he wanted to do something personal to help.

“It’s important to me to address the concerns residents raise, and this was a huge deal for some of them,” he said. “I felt very compelled to do something to give back to the community.”

The supervisor, who lives near the park, said the damage done to the soccer field and other surfaces is part of a problem that has been growing.

Over the years, vandals have damaged the portable toilets and basketball courts. In 2015, the park was shut down for several months after vandals caused $12,000 worth of damage by strewing shattered glass in the rubber mulch used around play equipment. The mulch had to be replaced.

A resident told the board during its Jan. 10 meeting that he recently picked up trash in the park that included a whiskey bottle and is concerned that there might be drug activity occurring.

Morabito said, while there is no concrete evidence of drug use or dealing in the park, it has become a place where teens and young adults gather after hours because it is secluded.

Township supervisors voted unanimously to accept the $2,500 from Morabito for the gate.

But not all officials think the gate will serve its intended purpose.

Supervisors Chairman Michael Korns said the gate won’t solve all the problems at the park, and two residents at the meeting said they opposed having it installed.

Supervisor Rennick Steele supported putting up the gate, saying it “will let them (vandals) know we run the streets, not them.”

Once the 22-foot-wide gate is installed, police officers will be responsible for unlocking it in the morning and then closing off access to the park at dusk.

People will still be allowed to walk into the park but the gate will block access by vehicles.

Morabito said the township also is looking into installing security cameras in the park so police can monitor what’s going on there.

Cameras also will be helpful for identifying suspects who cause damage in the park, he said.

“My family frequents the park and, over the past several years, we’ve had a lot of young families move into this area who are also using it,” Morabito said. “It’s important that we prevent the kind of damage that is being done.”