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Golf cart community idea debate rises in Wellsburg

WELLSBURG — A proposal to allow golf carts to be used on Wellsburg streets and repairs and improvements to City Hall’s entrance were among issues discussed by the city’s ordinance committee on Tuesday.

Second Ward Councilman Paul T. Billiard asked council members to consider an ordinance for the use of golf carts in the city, saying marketing the city as a golf cart community, as other municipalities have done, could draw new residents.

Billiard said the use of golf carts outside golf courses and parks has grown in popularity because they cost less to insure and fuel.

“It’s a very affordable means of transportation,” he said, adding they also create less pollution.

Billiard said the carts could be used in designated areas, such as Main and Charles streets and Pleasant Avenue, though they could cross state Route 2 at designated points, as bicyclists and others do.

But Police Lt. Lester Skinner and Sgt. Dan Casto expressed concerns about the vehicles’ safety.

Skinner noted golf carts provide drivers and passengers less protection than cars, and the carts would be sharing the road with large trucks traveling to and from Eagle Manufacturing on Charles Street.

“When they’re in a car, they have front air bags, side air bags,” he said, adding occupants of a golf cart could be thrown from it if struck by a larger vehicle.

Skinner said because they move more slowly than other traffic, they also could spur road rage.

He asked if other vehicles would be permitted to pass them.

Second Ward Councilman Brian Tennant suggested golf cart drivers could be required to yield to faster moving vehicles.

Fourth Ward Councilman Charlie Harris opposed the idea, saying, “I think the town’s layed out wrong for it. Traffic in the city is moving too fast, and golf carts are not going to slow it down.”

Billiard agreed with a few council members who suggested the carts’ drivers should be required to obey traffic laws and wear seat belts and the carts should be outfitted with safety features, such as lights.

He said the carts’ owners would be required to register them and have them inspected, though it’s not been determined if that would be done through the state or city.

Billiard said safety issues arising from the carts are no different from motorcycles or scooters driven in the city.

He said he envisions them being driven to the city’s wharf, with residents enjoying picnics and other activities along the Ohio River.

Billiard said he’s received positive feedback on the idea from the public but because of the carts’ retail cost, wouldn’t expect a lot of them to turn up right away if an ordinance was passed.

Tennant said he’s concerned allowing golf carts could lead to appeals for the use of all-terrain vehicles in the city. But he said he’d like to see an ordinance drafted and considered by council first.

“It’s a fresh idea. It’s something new,” said Tennant, who supported Billiard’s view that something should be done to attract younger residents to the city.

Plans were made to consult City Solicitor Bill Cipriani about related legal issues and discuss the proposal further in committee.

In other business, council members authorized City Manager Steve Maguschak to get estimates for repairs and improvements to the entrance at City Hall, including repairs to the concrete steps and metal railing, the addition of a handicap-accessible ramp and doors.

Third Ward Councilman Randy Fletcher said the steps have been deteriorating for some time and he’s concerned about their safety.

Billiard noted there’s also been talk of building a canopy over the entranceway to prevent ice from forming there in winter.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

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