Jolt Country

Whether it be people bathing in public fountains, spitting on sidewalks or blocking doorways, the Fort Collins City Council is moving to discourage unruly behavior in Old Town and elsewhere.
The council gave preliminary approval last week to a package of five ordinances aimed at updating City Code to cover behavioral problems. The measures would apply citywide, though "the issues that these ordinances address tend to plague downtown," said Chip Steiner, director of the Downtown Development Authority.

"It's enough to alter the perception of people visiting down there," Councilman Eric Hamrick said. "We want to present a nice, clean, healthy environment for people."

The gradual loss of civility downtown has become an issue during the past year. Some residents have complained about the proliferation of bars in the area and said they no longer feel safe there at night, while business owners argue that bad behavior is chasing away shoppers.

"We try to attract the young families to come down with their children, and then some guy comes down to wash his socks in the fountain," lamented Ed Stoner, president of Old Town Square Properties. The company owns and manages real estate in the square.

If approved, the ordinances under consideration would prohibit the following activities:


Trespassing, including climbing on public structures such as statues.

Bathing in manmade bodies of water, including public fountains.

Depositing bodily waste in public areas, including spitting and urinating.

Obstructing passageways. Residents would be barred from making passage through walkways "unreasonably inconvenient or hazardous," which would include sitting or lying within 20 feet of the entrance of a business during its operating hours. Use of public benches would be excluded.
Also under the ordinances, establishments with liquor licenses would be required to post a sign informing customers that police will be called for all disorderly acts or disturbances.

"As the mother of three children that were teenagers at the same time, I cannot believe some of the behavior we have to address here," Councilwoman Marty Tharp said.

Mayor Ray Martinez said City Code already covers some of the issues -- such as public urination -- but doesn't adequately deal with all of the problems. There's nothing in the current law, for example, to prevent packs of people from hanging around store doorways in Old Town Square -- a practice that business owners say discourages shoppers.

"Police have been hampered. People would call and complain, but there was nothing (police) could do," Martinez said. "I think (the ordinances) are a smart move in the sense of trying to get a handle on this now before we have a serious problem."

The ordinances are scheduled for final vote March 18.

Vitriola wrote:The town I live in in Orange County...there would be no guy washing his socks in a fountain. What guy? He was on a bus being dropped off across the border into Santa Ana before he could bare his feet. A Mexican friend driving in Irvine was told to 'Go back where you came from' by a cop, and if you see a black person, it's because they make more money in a year than you will see in 10. You can only paint your house 1 of 4 colors, and in Irvine, you don't even own your own land. The landscaping is just precious, though, darling. Toodle-oo!

danzaland wrote:yes I/we are siamese twins.
We are connected at the shoulder.
One half is gay the other isn't.
The gay half has his boyfriend coming over.
We only have one ass hole.........

danzaland wrote:And you thought the Police State was a Myth......