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Fairfield County seeks to head off problems
between Amish and their neighbors
Monday, January 08,
2007
Mary Beth Lane
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Horse-drawn Amish buggies
are becoming a familiar sight in the Fairfield County
village of Bremen. The slow-moving vehicles, however,
are seen as a traffic hazard by some residents, especially
at night.
BREMEN, Ohio - The narrow, hilly country roads that
run through this part of southern Fairfield County are
dotted with Amish families' farmhouses and black, horse-drawn
buggies. The landscape is postcard-pretty, but problems
are stirring. Motorists have barely missed the slowmoving,
ill-lighted buggies, which can be difficult to see at
night. Residents have complained about horse manure
on the roads. An outhouse overflowed onto a neighbor's
property during a heavy rain.
A culture clash is playing out between
non-Amish residents and Amish families, who began moving
to Rushcreek Township about 16 years ago.
Some residents were so vexed that
they signed a petition and sent it to government officials
asking for help.
So a lieutenant with the sheriff's
office, a township trustee, county health officials
and others sat down in November with the local Amish
bishop, Ura Gingerich, to sift through the issues.
The priority is road safety.
The Amish here have resisted adding
an orange, triangular slow-moving-vehicle sign to their
buggies. They are the kind of warning signs that farm
tractors must display.
Local safety officials have suggested
a black triangle that reflects brightly in headlights
as an alternative.
"We're pretty well thinking
of putting one of those black triangles on," Gingerich
said recently at his farmhouse, where he was recuperating
from an injury caused when a wagon rolled over his foot.
"I want to bring it up ... and
have a discussion on it" with other Amish families
before deciding, the white-bearded bishop said.
About 20 Amish families have settled
in Rushcreek Township since 1990, coming from elsewhere
in Ohio and from Indiana, Michigan and New York, Gingerich
said.
For the most part, the non-Amish
residents have welcomed their new neighbors, who farm,
operate small sawmills and sell eggs, sorghum, molasses
and handmade candy.
Others plant and water 150 acres
of stinging nettles under cultivation by a local botanicalmedicine
company that is developing a use for the plant.
But some of the Amish ways have upset
the non-Amish residents, especially their use of hard-to-see
buggies on local highways.
"It is so very dark on those
roads at night," said sheriff's secretary Pam Renko,
one of about 50 township residents who petitioned county
commissioners and other officials for help. "I
can't tell you the number of times that I have come
up upon a buggy, not realizing it was there. It's frightening."
Both the sheriff's office and the
Lancaster post of the State Highway Patrol have received
complaints about close calls with the buggies.
The Amish families generally follow
state law. Their buggies have lighted lanterns and a
72-inch-wide silver strip in the rear. But oil lanterns
don't shine brightly when they're blackened with soot,
and the silver strip can be difficult to see.
In comparison, the majority of Amish
families in Holmes County, in northeastern Ohio, light
their buggies better.
Most display the orange triangle
and use a combination of flashing amber lights and battery-powered
lights on their buggies, said Wayne Dellinger, coordinator
of the Ohio State University Extension Office's agricultural-safety
program.
His office has worked with Amish
communities across Ohio. Some of the more-conservative
Amish shun the orange triangle because it draws attention.
Of course, Dellinger said, drawing
attention is exactly the point.
"We strongly encourage the emblem,"
he said.
Last year, Dellinger visited Fairfield
County to train Sheriff Dave Phalen's deputies on interacting
with the Amish.
Phalen also has consulted with the
Holmes County sheriff.
"We want to respect their values,
but we also want to enhance safety on traveling in the
community," said Fairfield County Sheriff's Lt.
Tim Voris, who attended what participants called a "goodwill
meeting" in November with the Amish bishop.
Ed Pool agreed. The Rushcreek Township
trustee said it was important to resolve issues now
rather than allow them to divide the Amish and the non-Amish.
"It's not a clash of cultures,"
he said, "but it is a cultural difference."
Along with putting a black reflective
triangle on buggies, Pool and Voris have suggested wrapping
horses' legs in reflective tape, as deputies on mounted
patrol do. They also suggested placing bags behind the
horses to catch manure, as some in Holmes County do.
Gingerich has said he is considering
these ideas. He is also working with health officials
to make sure that outhouses are properly built and secured.
Local officials are optimistic.
"We are trying to improve being
good neighbors," Pool said.
mlane@dispatch.com
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