Upper St. Clair residents voice concern over possible sport court
A view of where David and Kelly Rohrich would like to construct a sport court on their Upper St. Clair property.
Machines sit at the Upper St. Clair home of David and Kelly Rohrich, where the couple would like to build a 4,100 square-foot sport court.
While it wasn’t on the agenda, during the Upper St. Clair commissioners’ Sept. 8 meeting, a number of residents of Salem Drive had concerns about plans for a proposed sport court on their street.
Lee Tilghman, of 241 Salem Drive, said his neighbors, David and Kelly Rohrich, of 235 Salem Drive, want to build a 4,100 square-foot multi-purpose sport court hockey rink parallel to his yard.
“Our number one concern is safety,” said Tilghman, who worried that his 14-month-old son could be hit by flying pucks when he is outside. He said that even the best players in the world hit pucks into the stands occasionally; it is an inherent risk of the game. He would like to see the rink built further from his yard.
In addition to the danger from pucks sailing into his yard, Tilghman said the rink would be large enough to accommodate 12 adult players, so he is also concerned about excessive noise and parking on the narrow street. He said when there are a multiple vehicles parked along the road, cars have a difficult time getting through.
Kristen LeBeau, of 221 Salem Drive, had concerns about traffic, noise and the safety of her three children, and residents from Salem Drive, Orr Road and Murdstone voiced similar worries.
Tilghman said the township’s zoning hearing board listened to residents from his neighborhood for almost three hours during its Aug. 27 meeting. If the zoning hearing board approves the Rohrich’s application, Tilghman would like them to add conditions to address the safety issues.
Contacted after the meeting, township manager Matthew Serakowski said that sport courts have been included in Upper St. Clair’s code for over 20 years. Courts larger than 600 square feet go through the process of coming before the township’s zoning hearing board for a special exception.
Serakowski explained that if an application meets zoning requirements for a special exception, it is typically granted by the zoning hearing board; however, the zoning hearing board can add certain reasonable conditions. If approved, the township, applicant and any aggrieved party can appeal the decision of the zoning hearing board and it goes to common pleas court.
Also contacted after the meeting, Tilghman said he has been touched by the support of his neighbors, some who went door-to-door collecting signatures on a petition.
“It’s not a personal issue,” said Tighlman. “It’s a safety issue.”