At least three people are likely to be facing fines as a result of Watson Township officials’ actions over the last couple of weeks.
Two were ticketed by Professional Code Inspections late last month for violating local ordinances by putting on a hill climb, selling tickets for attendance and illegally operating a marijuana grow on the land where the event took place. Corey Smith and Dave Sebright may face a $250 fine apiece for having the for-profit event without explicit approval of the Planning Commission or Township Board.
Township Supervisor Kevin Travis said he and Kirk Scharphorn Jr. of Professional Code Inspections visited the site and caught them red-handed in the activity. He said there were about 200 people who were charged $15 apiece to attend and some camped overnight on the property. There also were fireworks.
Travis said the incident may cause the township to look into updating its gathering ordinance, which was adopted in 1971.
Trustee Chuck Andrysiak said, “We actually do have a very old ordinance to cover these things,” but agreed it may need to be tweaked to keep up with the times.
Lori Castello of PCI is examining the current local on the books to determined whether any revisions are necessary.
The other citation will be issued to an unidentified woman who was caught on camera violating the the recycling bin at the township hall site. It is the first time a scofflaw has been caught via the use of the newly-installed camera system that was paid for by a $5,000 grant.
Then-Supervisor Pam Brown almost a year ago worked on securing the public safety grant to install the cameras all around the township hall because there had been too much evidence of people stopping by and dumping trash in the bins rather than recyclable materials. The idea was to catch them in the act and send the information to PCI, which then would issue a citation of up to $500.
Treasurer Sue Jones said those guilty of the infractions should have to pay the penalties because residents have been warned for some time now that the cameras were being installed for the purpose of catching them.
PHOTO: This was the scene at the Watson Township Hall late last summer, where there was evidence of people dumping trash at the recycling bins. The first violator was caught on camera recently and will be fined. (File Photo)
