Fairhaven officials seek compromise with Pokemon Go players at Fort Phoenix
By: Kirsten Glavin
kglavin@abc6.com
FAIRHAVEN, MA – After a three hour long board meeting Monday night, Fairhaven selectmen decided to compromise with Pokemon Go players at Fort Phoenix in an effort to better preserve the historic site.
The board called for porta potties to be placed on the grounds, after hearing complaints that people were relieving themselves on the property and in neighbors yards after 5pm, when nearby facilities closed for the evening.
They also declared the town will reach out to Niantic, Inc. the software company that developed the Pokemon Go app. in an effort to have the company shut off the game at certain hours of the night.
Selectman Bob Espindola announced he will work to create a group that would work hand-in-hand with gamers on the site, while the gamers in exchange promised to develop an official cleanup team.
The meeting follows numerous complaints that Fort Phoenix has been attracting up to a thousand people a day to catch Pokemon; some of whom have been vandalizing the property. Residents at the meeting expressed serious concerns, explaining people have been urinating on nearby stone walls, overflowing trash bins and loitering on the historic site well past the 10 p.m. closing time.
"There was a gentleman, he probably didn’t have facilities on the fort. So he chose to urinate on the wall. And we’ve seen since then, a couple of other people do that," one Fort Phoenix neighbor told the board.
Residents also suggested solutions, including making people pay to park, to deter the high volume of people. One resident said police should start ticketing people who are there after hours. A gamer added that the town could use the high volume to people to turn a profit, by setting up food concessions near the historic site.
"I think we should maybe try to generate funds for the fort. Maybe a Go Fund Me to fix the issues that have been created through the increase in people there," one gamer said.
Many Pokemon Go players expressed desire to help fix the damages caused, and were receptive to the proposed changes. Others fired back, adamant that the space is public and is there for everyone to use.
"I really don’t think that banning anyone who is trying to play the game is even going to help because it’s a public state park. You can’t just stop people who are law abiding citizens from going and enjoying the same facilities you do," one gamer told ABC6 News.
© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2016
