By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Voorhees Sun
Forget about the upcoming gubernatorial race this November, there’s an even bigger debate taking place right here in the Hermitage Townhomes Complex.
To grill or not to grill, that is what’s being disputed right now in the township.
An argument has been brewing at the Hermitage at Main Street Condominium complex — a 64-unit townhome community — to decide whether or not residents have the right to cook out in their back yards using barbeque grills. Resident Peter Gelt said the housing board is considering banning grills from the complex, claiming the grills provide a safety hazard and lower property values.
The debate has been going on since earlier this year after the local fire marshal said residents couldn’t have their grills on their back-yard porches, as it posed a fire hazard. Gelt said the fire marshal asked residents to have their barbeques a certain number of feet from their homes, which resulted in the grills being placed on the back-yard lawns.
Gelt said the housing board then started looking into banning grills from the complex altogether. Following an uproar from the residents of the complex, Gelt said the board held a secretive meeting to discuss the pros and cons of allowing grills in the complex.
See this week’s print edition of The Sun for the full story.
