Upper Allen board debates porta‑potties, trash pickup and policing for McCormack Park holiday crowds

The Upper Allen Township Parks and Recreation Advisory Board spent the meeting’s longest discussion on McCormack Park, where residents reported heavy holiday crowds and parked cars that have left yards full of trash during past Fourth of July weekends.

Resident Judy and other speakers said last year’s attendance appeared to exceed 200 cars and left trash in nearby yards, and she urged temporary measures for upcoming holidays: on-site porta‑potties, daily trash pickup, and more visible police patrols. “The toilets are always—we have over 200 people there, over 200 cars last year,” a resident said while urging the township to take steps to avoid a repeat.

Parks Director Chad Krebs outlined operational constraints and a rough cost framework. He said township staff can consider contracted trash pickup and porta‑potty service but cautioned resources are limited during summer, and that weekend event pricing from vendors may make short-term service costly. He described a rough order‑of‑magnitude “a few thousand dollars” for a holiday weekend if the township pays for delivery, pickup and staffing.

Not all board members supported adding temporary infrastructure. Jeff Clukey argued that deploying porta‑potties and other amenities risks a “field of dreams” effect—adding facilities could attract larger crowds and more nonresidents. “I would not support this,” he said, arguing it might invite larger numbers and create unplanned maintenance and liability needs.

Other suggestions included coordinated enforcement with the police department (temporary no‑parking tape or targeted patrols) and temporary signage reminding visitors that the area is not an organized active recreation site. Jim Cochran, a resident, suggested using police 'no parking' tape to limit roadside parking and asked for enforcement during holidays.

The board did not adopt a single approach. Members asked staff to discuss options with local police (including feasibility of temporary traffic/no‑parking enforcement), get vendor cost estimates for porta‑potties and trash pickup, and return with refined recommendations for the July meeting. Several members suggested trying police tape for the next holiday period as a trial before committing to an out‑of‑budget expense for multiple holiday weekends.

Audience members provided photos showing crowded parking and litter; one resident raised safety concerns about unsupervised children in the creek. Phil Walsh, a resident and commissioner, offered private driveway space for police parking during holidays to improve enforcement visibility.

Next steps: staff will consult the police department about temporary parking controls and enforcement availability, collect vendor estimates for weekend porta‑potties and contracted trash pickup, and report back to the board for further consideration of short‑term trial measures and any potential budget request to the Board of Commissioners.