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Crime & Safety

Neighborhood's Cul-De-Sac Becomes Construction Co.'s Parking Lot

Residents of Tanglewood Lane complained to police after parked construction vehicles stayed on their block for months.

For the past three months, Tanglewood Lane resident Laura Pagano had been trying to wage her own war against a construction crew that was not working on her house or block, but had taken over the once quiet, peaceful cul-de-sac.

According to Pagano, the Penn-Bower Inc. Contractors crew would dump off giant mounds of dirt and street rubble and park their trucks, digging machines, and other equipment in front of her house every evening, leaving it all overnight and on weekends. Between 7 and 7:30 a.m., the crew would be back to park their personal cars on Tanglewood Lane, drink coffee in front of her house, and then drive their work vehicles to various sites in Scotch Plains and Fanwood.

“It started at the end of June,” Pagano said. “The kids were still in school. At first they did some work on Tanglewood Lane, so I didn’t think it was a big deal. We went away on vacation for a week, and when we got back the work on our street was done, but the trucks and dirt were still there.”

At her wits' end, Pagano finally sought official help from the Scotch Plains Police Department, and quickly found out that the construction company’s actions were indeed not OK.

“Tractor trailers and construction vehicles are not to be parked anywhere in the municipality overnight,” Sgt. Ernie Hernandez said. “If you have needs like that, you need to go through the township to talk about where you’re going to do these things. You can’t just park giant trailers and giant piles of dirt on the street.”

Penn-Bower Inc., a sub-contractor for the gas company, had been commissioned to work in both Scotch Plains and Fanwood along Ramapo, Tanglewood, King, and Helen streets. Even though they had completed the initial part of the job on Tanglewood Lane, the crew continued to use the cul-de-sac as a parking lot. When it became clear they had no intention of leaving anytime soon, Pagano approached them.

“When I asked them why their trucks and stuff are still here, they told me it’s because we have the biggest cul-de-sac with the biggest curbs in this area,” Pagano stated. “They said they’re not in charge, and they have nothing to do with the town. They said they would be there until September.”

As the weeks passed, Pagano and several other residents of Tanglewood Lane became more and more uneasy with the situation. Many felt the street was unsafe for their children who usually ride bikes, play basketball, and scooter around the cul-de-sac during the summer.

“I was actually thinking about asking all the neighbors to park their cars out on the street so the workers wouldn’t have anywhere to park their trucks,” Pagano said. “It was just ridiculous.”

Pagano approached the crew again at the beginning of September—only to be told that their work was extended into October. So, after three months, Pagano picked up the phone and made an official complaint to the Scotch Plains Police Department, who took care of the problem the very next day.

“The cul-de-sac on Tanglewood has a radius that allows a fire truck to go in there and turn around, and a fire truck can’t do that or might get stuck if there’s equipment parked in the street,” Hernandez said. “As soon as we received the complaint, I coordinated with our Parks and Recreations Department, which allowed us to use their Kramer Manor parking lot so these vehicles have a place to park safely.”

Hernandez further advised that if anyone runs into a similar situation that is an immediate danger, they should call the police desk, which will work on the problem.

“We depend on our citizens to help us identify these kinds of situations in town,” Lt. Brian Donnelly said. “The safety of our residents is a top priority for us. One of the biggest things Chief of Police Brian Mahoney stresses to the force is that we will look into every complaint, whether it’s anonymous letters, tips, or calls.”

Editor's note: Patch writer Cindy Loh lives in the area, but had no involvement in the dispute. She pursued the story after hearing complaints from some of her neighbors.

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