Village dashing hoop dreams
Police to crack down on roadway basketball courts after resident calls foul
The Daily Mail
June 23, 2009

CATSKILL — The days when children can play basketball in the streets of Catskill have ended, according to Catskill Police Chief David Darling.

At a meeting of the Village Board Monday evening, Darling and Village President Vincent Seeley discussed the possibility of creating an ordinance that would prohibit the games, which can block traffic, annoy neighbors and become dangerous.

The issue of problematic games in Catskill was raised by Lauren Levey, a Greene Street resident who lives across the street from one temporary basketball court.

Levey said the court only “opened” after new parking rules that prohibit parking on the far side of the street took effect.

The games, she said, occur frequently and have been accompanied by music.

“Sometimes it is very rough, sometimes it is very loud,” she said.

Levey said children who play basketball on Greene Street move for cars but that she has observed some of them making obscene gestures at drivers. Sometimes, she said, children pretend to throw rocks at passing cars.

She said drivers might swerve dangerously to avoid being hit with an object they might think was heading their way.

Darling said officers do not break up in-street basketball games unless the department receives complaints from residents.

He said officers had been sent to clear Greene Street last month but that games had evidently resumed.

He guaranteed that the Greene Street court would be shut down immediately and that officers would visit a court on High Street, as well.

“We have had trouble with these kids and basketball courts throughout the village where these kids take over the street,” he said.

Police said officers were dispatched throughout the Village to check for road-court activity by 8 p.m. Monday.

“Any basketball hoop near the roads will be moved,” Darling said.

Other areas known to house problematic basketball courts in the past include Broome Street, Laurel Lane and Bushnell Avenue.

Another resident at the meeting expressed his concern for the safety of the basketball players.

He said motorists may ignore stop signs or skid on wet pavement and injure a child playing the the street.

Darling suggested that an ordinance banning such in-street activities would prevent street blockage and any related injuries. He said officers could more stringently enforce a state ban on blocking traffic.

Seeley said he could look into drafting a new traffic law or an ordinance that would specifically target blocking traffic.

He noted that courts are available at Elliott Park and inside the Catskill Community Center.