Organizer criticizes police performance at Harmony Christmas Market
HARMONY — Safety concerns for Harmony's Christmas Market in November became a point of contention at Tuesday night's borough council meeting.
The market, held Nov. 10 and 11, was well-attended and enjoyed, according to Gwen Lutz, Harmony Christmas Market event organizer and Harmony Museum vice president.
But Lutz said that there were issues with the performance of the on-duty police.
Lutz said the officers were late to the event and “when they did get there and finally closed down traffic, every time I looked up on Main Street there was another car going through.”
At the top of Lutz's issues with the force, however, was the $1,200 bill that the museum had to pay for two days of police assistance.
Lutz said in previous years the museum paid $300 for traffic control. But this was when the fire police were in charge at the event, she said.
Zelienople Police Chief Jim Miller, who attended council meeting, responded to Lutz's concerns.
“You can't restrict the trucks on the street because you didn't close the street off, legally,” Miller said. “You have to have them be able to access their facility.”
Read more in Thursday's Butler Eagle.
