The Salisbury Township Recreation Advisory Committee held a meeting Sept. 15 to discuss and plan upcoming community events.

In the parks report, chair Mark Wilson noted there have been non-permitted groups of organized adult baseball and softball teams using Lindberg Park for games or practices. Conflicts may occur when permitted teams arrive to use the fields and the non-permitted groups must relinquish use of the field to permitted groups.

He also noted he has witnessed residents letting their dogs run freely in the interior of the park. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trails but not in the park’s interior and signs are clearly posted.

These same issues are also prevalent at Franko Park which deters residents from fully accessing all areas of the park and trails. The committee reminds residents dogs are not allowed off leash in any of the township’s parks and suggests community policing and law enforcement as ways to curtail this behavior.

Recreation Director Genny Baillie remarked on the success of the Aug. 4 National Night Out. The event was well organized and held at Salisbury Middle School which was a large enough venue to handle the many organizations participating in the event. Residential turnout was huge and there was plenty of free food and drinks as well as demonstrations and fun activities for every age group.

The next community event scheduled was the AM Radio concert Sept. 27 at Franko Park.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, president of the Salisbury Youth Association Bryon Cramsey, reported a sinkhole has opened up at Laubach Park near the equipment shed and needs some attention before it gets worse. Baillie noted she will touch base with public works director Jim Levernier to see what can be done to correct the problem.

Cramsey also informed the committee the vandalism at Laubach Park is continuing. He reported damage to the field and portable restrooms. Police were called and shown a video taken on a personal phone of youths tipping over and damaging portable restrooms. Police informed him nothing could be done.

Baillie acknowledged vandalism is a problem she dealt with firsthand during the summer playground program and efforts to utilize video cameras in the park have been thwarted by damage to the cameras. She suggested police continue to be summoned to report these incidents and encouraged Cramsey to attend a commissioner’s meeting and report the incidents and the subsequent police response.

Cramsey concluded his comments by saying he would like to see SYA working more closely with the advisory committee and offered to help with community events.

The next meeting of the recreation advisory committee will be held 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave., Allentown.