Solicitation hours extended in Hampton

Solicitors have an extra two hours each day to visit Hampton residences and businesses that do not opt out of such activities.

Hampton Council on April 27 approved an amendment to the township’s peddling and solicitation ordinance, establishing permissible hours between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

The change came about following legal counsel Vincent Tucceri advising municipal officials that the previous limit to “permissible hours of peddling and solicitation activities to between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. may be susceptible to legal challenge based on recent federal case law,” according to the amendment.

Hampton does offer the means to revoke permission.

“If you do not want solicitors coming to your door, the township has a no-solicitation list that any household or business can join, which requires anyone who obtains a soliciting permit to skip that address,” said Carolynn Johnson, council president.

To be added to the list, call the police department at 412-486-0400 or visit hampton-pa.org/182/Police-Department.

Meetings stay put

Hampton Council plans to continue to meet at the township community center at least through June.

Before the covid-19 pandemic, council meetings were held at the nearby municipal building. The community center offers a considerable amount of space to help ensure social distancing.

With covid cases in decline, council members discussed moving back to the previous location. They decided to remain for now and revisit the topic with regard to July meetings.

Bethany Blackburn, council vice president, suggesting maintaining the community center as an option.

“If you can anticipate an item that’s going to generate some interest, it’s so much more comfortable to have it here,” she said.

The community center meeting room is booked for the second and fourth Wednesday evenings — for council’s agenda and voting meetings, respectively — throughout 2022.

“I have had people ask not so much about the location but about recording the meetings and having them available for people to watch afterward,” Johnson said, referencing the recently adopted practice of Hampton Township School District.

The municipality’s information technology department is working on providing opportunities for online participation in council meetings, which then would be posted on a YouTube channel for subsequent viewing, according to municipal manager Chris Lochner. The target date is around September.

Seeking survey responses

Placards have been placed throughout Hampton Township Community Park containing QR codes that connect residents to an online survey suggesting improvements to the park and local recreation programs.

The questionnaire is part of the public engagement component of the process in updating the township’s Comprehensive Recreation, Parks and Open Space Plan. To be identified within the plan are “methods, resources, organizational capacity and capital investment needed for short- and long-term recreation and conservation goals for the community,” according to the municipal website.

The steering committee for the plan is scheduled to meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. May 24 at the community center. To take the survey, visit www.hamptonparks.com.