North Wales to look into permits for park events

A month after a controversial gathering in a North Wales park, borough officials are continuing talks on how to better communicate about, and respond to, similar events.

“I want to inform council and the public that I met with the executive committee on Thursday to discuss some concerns some borough residents had concerning park permits,” said acting council President Mark Tarlecki.

“The main topic of this was, what do we do about this?” he said.

During the second week of September, local organizers posted on social media plans to host a “Charlie Kirk Candlelight Vigil for Peace” in the borough’s Weingartner Park, prompting several rounds of online sparring over the Sept. 10 shooting death of the conservative activist.

On Sept. 14, several hundred residents of the borough and community gathered in the park and heard speeches by local officials, clergy, and activist Scott Presler. The event drew reaction at the subsequent council meeting, with some residents questioning why the event was allowed and saying they felt unsafe due to the large gathering and heavy security there, others saying they knew little about the event until afterward, and comparisons to a similar vigil held there in 2020 in memory of George Floyd.

During the Oct. 14 meeting, Tarlekci announced that he had started up talks with council VP Wendy McClure, and council members Anji Fazio and Alex Groce on setting up a subcommittee meant to research and address those questions from residents, and produce a report looking at how other boroughs and townships handle such events or gatherings, with recommendations for the full council to consider.      

“I need this committee to analyze the pros and cons of doing a permit for our parks,” he said.

“They can meet at will; it does not need to be public because it won’t be more than two or three members of council. And they are going to be requested to have a final report, in council chambers, by the last meeting of December,” Tarlecki said.

Council currently has public meetings scheduled for Dec. 9 and 23, and typically cancels the latter meeting if a budget for the upcoming year is finalized, thus the report and recommendations could be discussed publicly on the 9th, then considered in public talks once any new council members are seated for 2026.

“And then have council, once it’s seated next year, to begin work on taking a look at that report, and see if it’s something we need to enact,” Tarlecki said.       

    Peaceful protesters hold signs and demonstrate against racism and police violence at Weingartner Park in North Wales on Sunday, June 7 2020. (Submitted photo)
  

 "We need to do our due diligence and not rush into something, just because of a reaction to a situation that happened a month ago,” he said.

Borough Manager Christine Hart added that she and town staff do have the ability to ask their counterparts in other municipalities across the county to share info about such topics, and could ask for any input on public gatherings and permits via those channels.

“We did poll some of the local municipalities, and most that have park permit forms on their website, it is strictly for facilities. A lot of them are renting pavilions, indoor enclosures, bathrooms, where they’re given an exclusive permit to host a party or something of that like, or organizations that would use a soccer field or baseball field,” she said.

During those early inquiries, the manager added, none have been found that require permits for public gatherings due to First Amendment concerns over restrictions on speech, and Tarlecki said that will have to be a factor for the council

“We still need to take that into consideration. First and foremost, First Amendment rights are paramount when it comes to gatherings of that nature. But we’re going to move forward, and take a look at this, and see if this is workable for North Wales,” Tarlecki said.

Staff and police have also made another change: an updated communications list so all nine council members and the mayor can be informed quickly, in response to claims by some that they were traveling or unaware of the September vigil.

“It’s important that we establish a telephone line of communication, in case any type of issue may arise again that requires council’s knowledge,” Tarlecki said.

    Hundreds of area residents gathered in Weingartner Park in North Wales on Sunday night for a ‘Charlie Kirk Candlelight Vigil for Peace’ in memory of the slain activist. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Vogel)
  

“Last time, some council members had no idea this was occurring, or may have felt like they had been left out of the loop, and I have to apologize as council president for not reaching out to everyone,” he said.

Councilwoman Sarah Whelan asked what goal Tarlecki hoped the committee would accomplish, and Tarlecki said the goal was to present a report on the pros and cons for implementing park permits.

“To look at different permits that are out there, and see if it’s something we can actually use,” he said.

“I just think about everybody’s time, and going back to the First Amendment rights — I think it gets very tricky, and dangerous,” Whelan replied. “Personally, if I didn’t agree with the memorial service, I could still support a group of individuals.”

Why have the conversation? In response to resident concerns, Tarlecki said, to at least have the debate and hear all sides.

“This is our way of addressing those concerns, to see if we can come up with some solutions for this. Does this mean we are going to have a park permit application? Who’s to say?” Tarlecki said.

“But it’s important to get that information out there, to see if this is actually even feasible,” he said. “All I want to see are the pros and cons: what works for other municipalities, what doesn’t work, what could work for North Wales.”

McClure then said her concerns also centered on the rapid growth of the initial event, and how early estimates that the vigil would have one or two dozen local residents attending, grew rapidly to several hundred once word spread on social media.

‘Something could’ve happened in a New York minute. It didn’t, but there’s gotta be some way to have some kind of communication, that an event is growing, that we need additional assistance,” she said.

Councilwoman Candace Anderson said she was looking forward to learning more about other towns.

“It’s also to benchmark what other towns are doing, so that we can be informed. Just seeing if others are doing this, that’s what we need to know, just to get the lay of the land,” she said.

Councilwoman Sally Neiderhiser said she’s also had similar questions from residents, and Tarlecki said his goal in having the conversation would be to take the temperature of other towns and present any options to the public for their input.

“We just want to see what’s available, what’s out there. And if something is workable, so be it. If it’s not going to be workable, then so be it as well. I just want that information, so the public has the information they need,” Tarlecki said.

Resident Erin Thompson added that she has family who live near the park, and would follow the conversation closely.

“Everybody has the right to speech, period. But if something did happen, a permit would be wise, just so we could have police informed, have backup, just in case,” she said.

In addition to the talk on event permits, former Mayor Greg D’Angelo raised questions about the minutes from the council’s Sept. 23 meeting and how those minutes summarized an earlier round of debate on the vigil and its aftermath. After a lengthy back-and-forth, the council adopted the first draft of the minutes, and Hart said she and D’Angelo would work on a revision of that section of the minutes that could be amended in a future meeting.

North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.

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