Two weeks ago, the rims at the basketball courts near Livingston High School were “locked.” Bars were placed on top of them so that a basketball could not get through the hoop, preventing the very popular courts from being of any use.The courts were closed at the behest of the township’s Department of Public Works, whose employees have spent too much time collecting trash around the courts. This action, a punishment of sorts, was designed to encourage the users of the court to shape up their act and learn to properly dispose of their refuse. The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week,The rims were originally supposed to be locked for one week, but following public outcry, they were reopened less than a day later. Should the trash issue continue, however, officials said that the rims would again be locked.We understand the frustration of our hardworking township employees. There are over a dozen garbage and recycling cans at the courts and putting one’s trash in them, rather than leaving it on the ground, is quick and easy to do. Perhaps the decision to effectively shut down the basketball courts will prove to be the wake-up call that users of the area needed.However, we are also sympathetic to our residents who wished to utilize their township courts and were denied access, because the blame for the undiscarded trash does not solely fall on Livingston residents.As previously stated, the courts are quite popular, including with people who do not live in town. The Township Council has mentioned this issue at meetings; residents regularly have difficulty accessing the courts because, at times, people who come from out of town are using them instead. It stands to reason that out-of-towners also contribute to the trash problem. In fact, if it is not their town, it is likely that they would care even less about keeping it clean.So what is the solution? We do not believe it is locking up the courts; that is unjustly punishing too many people innocent of any wrongdoing. If out-of-towners are the root of the problem, then the township should devise a solution to give residents priority on the court. As was discussed at a recent Council meeting, perhaps this could involve enhancing the use of the township’s Community Pass, or possibly having a township employee or police officer more frequently patrol the area.Of course, we should ...
