Letter: Township Should Bill Businesses for Traffic Control

With the dining room closed because of the pandemic, the line of cars at the drive thru at Chick-fil-A sometimes sprawls out onto North Atherton, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Patton Township and restaurant management are working to keep things safe while not restricting business. Photo by Vincent Corso | Centre County Gazette

Dear Patton Township Supervisors:

I sent this letter via e-mail to you on Saturday, January 30, but received no replies from any of you, so I am submitting it as an open letter for community consideration.

I recently read a Centre County Gazette article, published on StateCollege.com, about traffic congestion along North Atherton Street from the Chick-fil-A eatery located in our township. Living nearby, I have found the congestion troublesome and hazardous and thus applaud the ongoing efforts to mitigate it.

However, I also learned from that article that the township is not billing CfA for special police patrols that are occasionally mounted there to direct excess traffic. It strikes me as inappropriate that a national corporate chain, especially one that has a well-known history of supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations and causes, would not be charged for expending a special public resource. That seems especially inappropriate as the budgets of many households and the township itself are strained amid the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I urge you to direct township administrators to bill Chick-fil-A, and any other private entity, for any special township resources and services rendered to them.

Danny Brouillette