Concerns were aired Monday night over continued dumping at what was once the town dump- but since the late 70’s has been turned into Honesdale’s Field of Dreams, the site of the Little League baseball diamonds.
As was mentioned at the Honesdale Council session at City Hall, the site on Grove Street continues to be owned by the Borough, An area behind the three baseball fields is still used by the Public Works Department to deposit prunings and downed foliage.
Several members of the Honesdale Little Baseball Association (HLBA) board were present. Scott Kinzinger, who has been involved with the league 28 years and is a past president, denounced the practice of the Borough of also bringing fallen trees, stumps and branches, and that the public has been bringing rubbish and yard debris as well, over the years. The pile spreads out into the parking area, which causes congestion when all three fields are in use.
Kinzinger reminded that although the baseball association does not take any public funding, they probably bring more people than at any other borough park, and therefore deserve some consideration. About 1,000 to 1,500 use the fields weekly, he said.
He said some of the citizens who dump there say they were given permission to do so by borough employees.
On June 16, the HLBA was told by borough personnel that a gate would be put in place at the entrance. A letter was presented Monday night stating the board’s opposition to the idea. This was tried about a decade ago and had little effect, since much of the dumping occurs when a game is held.
A gate would create much inconvenience, said Kinzinger, having to ensure it is open in time and locked up afterwards. RotoRooter and the garbage hauler need to get in there.
He complained that the Borough has been bringing large tree debris in while the ordinance only allows for pickup of  grass, pruning, garden waste and leaves. Tree debris takes much longer to decompose. Among the HLBA’s recommendations to the borough is to chip the brush drown at the Borough garage and allow the public to use the mulch. Any left over mulch could be dumped in the dumping area.
Council President Ed Langendoerfer said that the borough needed to haul trees there that came down on roads in a recent storm. He said the borough cannot afford a chipper.
New signs have been put up by the Borough, declaring, “Absolutely no dumping of any material- violators will be prosecuted.” Councilman Gerald Ennis urged that the HLBA give these signs a chance to work. Police will be enforcing the rule, Ennis said. In addition, borough employees are prohibited from granting the public permission to dump anything there.
Kinzinger offered that HLBA would pay for another “no dumping” sign to be put up by the road; the ones the borough put up are further down off Grove Street.
The HLBA does want a chain or gate to close off the entrance off-season, and asks for a gated fence at the end of the parking area where the dumping begins.
Langendoerfer said that the dumping became an issue after the third ball field was built, in the late 90’s.  He said the Borough’s long range plan should include another place to dump debris. Ennis said near the end of the meeting that the HLBA was correct in that the Borough had not been enforcing the dumping ban, but these new signs should help.
Also present from the HLBA were Charlie Rollison, Greg Adams, Mike Flederbach, Chris  Pietraszewski and Jeff Abbott.