Joe Fialko has watched Roba Family Farms grow from a small venue into a big attraction, with pumpkins, a playground and farm animals drawing people from all over Northeast Pennsylvania — all less than 30 yards from his home.
As the North Abington Twp. farm has become more popular, neighbors who live behind it have had to contend with the high volume of traffic it brings, as well as worsening issues with noise and firepit smoke.
Supervisor Chairman Gary Wilding said neighbors complained to the board as recently as September about the smoke and the traffic. He said the traffic complaints aren’t new, but this is the first year they heard complaints about smoke.
Fialko, who has lived behind the farm on Jennifer Drive for more than 40 years, said he hears a constant thumping coming from the property, particularly in the evening.
“It’s a constant vibration that even when we’re sitting in our house with the windows shut and we’re watching television, you could hear that beating of that base beating,” Fialko said. “It’s almost as if our house is shaking due to the fact that this is ongoing.”
The smoke from the firepits has become so noticeable that he said it’s nearly impossible for him and his wife, Linda, to be outside or to have their windows open. Fialko said ash coats his house and he worries about his and his neighbors’ health.
The farm, which is open from Labor Day weekend through Halloween, has 60 firepits that visitors can rent for gatherings.
Ken Mathews, who has lived near the Roba property for 21 years, doesn’t mind the noise but has issues with the bumper-to-bumper traffic on Decker Road. He said he doesn’t go out after 5 p.m. because of it.
While there haven’t been any accidents, he worries something bad could happen on the road that leads to the farm. Motorists often speed, he said.
“People come up over there so fast,” Mathews said. “It’s one lane up there really and just waiting for something to happen.”
Fialko thinks the township should put in more stop signs or an electronic speed-monitoring device.
Mathews said he asked the township six years ago to lower the speed limit on Decker Road. He and Fialko also spoke with Roba management about the issues.
“We don’t mind anybody making a living, but when it affects the well-being of a neighborhood, then we get a little bit concerned,” Fialko said.
Officials have proposed adding a stop sign coming out of the development behind Roba, but Wilding said residents didn’t like having to stop at it nine months out of the year. He said the township has no ordinance regulating smoke and Roba complies with all township laws.
Roba President Jeff Roba understands neighbors’ concerns and is trying to address them. He said in years past, they have had problems with vehicles backed up onto and stopped on Decker Road, but this year, they hired more employees to direct vehicles to parking spots, as well as into and out of the farm. There are also more entrances and exits, which, combined with more parking enforcement, has alleviated some of the congestion.
“We’ve definitely kept it so traffic isn’t stopped or blocking roads,” he said.
Roba said ensuring Decker Road isn’t congested is a convenience and safety issue, as the road needs to be open for emergency vehicles to access the farm and neighboring properties.
The smoke issue is harder to address, he said, because the intensity depends on the weather. Roba said the farm is looking to replace 15 of the firepits with propane but said they have to figure out how they will be safely installed.
He said he does his best to attend township supervisors’ meetings, hear from neighbors and address their concerns. Roba has even given his cellphone number to neighbors to contact him.
“We do our absolute best to address concerns,” he said.