The following from Alaister McFarren, Times-Union Correspondent
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Claypool Town Council, Jack Warren, of the Claypool Lions Club, made an inquiry about what he felt was an excessive police presence during the club’s monthly fish fry.
According to Town Marshal Ben Sanders, he had received five complaints pertaining to speeding prior to the January fish fry.
“We go where I get complaints about,” Sanders stated. “When I get speeding reports from near the school, we focus on that. When we had reports around Tecomet, we focused on that.”
According to Sanders, Claypool officers pulled over 25 speeders at January’s fish fry, one of which was going in excess of 60 miles per hour in a 30-mph zone. At February’s fish fry, that number was down to 12 speeders, which Sanders credits to the warnings the police department gave out in January.
“The whole reason we focus on events like the fish fry is awareness,” Sanders said. “We’ve done a lot of work to clean this town up; a lot more kids are outside playing again, and I don’t want to see any of them get hurt.”
“We’re all for the fish fries; they bring a lot to the community,” Council President Benny Gates Jr. said. “I do not believe we’re targeting the Lions Club. That being said, people going 30 miles per hour over the speed limit is a problem. It’s all about safety.”
Council member Liz Heiman agreed with Sanders and Gates Jr., pointing out that more kids are home on weekends when the fish fries are happening.
Sanders also pointed out that he gave almost all the individuals pulled over warnings, not tickets, with the exception being for seatbelt violations.
In other news, the Council announced that the town’s spring cleanup will take place April 14. Fliers will go out with water bills on what will and will not be collected by the town.
The Council also approved a new fire protection contact with the township for $10,000 for the year.
The town is still accepting bids for the police department’s now-retired 2010 Crown Victoria. Having received no bids over the past month, they will also accept ideas for what else the town could do with the vehicle.
During reports from department heads, Sanders stated that the police department received 149 calls for service during February, utilizing 44 reserve hours.
Before adjourning the meeting, Gates Jr. informed meeting attendees that the reason behind raising burial costs for the town was due to comparing Claypool to surrounding towns’ prices. He also said the town’s backhoe also is often broke down, causing the town needing to pay money to others to perform the service for them.
