Pocono News Section

Rock Controversy

Rock Controversy - Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 4:25PM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Thursday, Apr 10, 2008 @04:25pm EST
MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP - A pile of rocks is causing a pile of controversy in the Poconos. Some say a gravel pile in Monroe County blocks trespassers, others say it blocks emergency vehicles.

Phones in the Tego Lake community buzzed all day long with news that the private development may soon lose some of its privacy.

Middle Smithfield Township will seek a court order to remove a pile of gravel that blocks an entrance into the development. Joanne Barber lives in Tego Lake. She said, "When I moved up to the Poconos I moved up to a small, private, quiet community. It will not be that if we have the public driving through."

Residents dumped the pile of gravel to stop drivers who want to cut across Tego Lake Road into the community next door. "They think nothing of coming down this road 40, 50 miles an hour," said Linda Klinger.

The pile also blocks emergency vehicles and that's where the problems started. Last month emergency workers rushed to save some people who fell in a lake. They said the rock detour wasted precious minutes.

The fire chief asked the township to take down the pile later that night and residents protested. "If there were an emergency at that time we would have helped them take it down but the emergency had occurred hours before hand," said Barber.

Township officials originally told the residents they'd put in a gate so community members and emergency vehicles could get through but then those officials changed their minds because putting up a gate could cause legal troubles.

Now it will be up to a judge to decide what to do with the road.

Middle Smithfield Township Supervisor Chairman Scott Schaller said, "We truly do believe that unless it's approved as a gated community, these roads need to remain open for the health, safety and welfare of the community.