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Council tackles issues from skateboards to horses

Philadelphia City Council seemed preoccupied Thursday with transportation, processing bills that dealt with skateboards, bikes, and even horses.

Philadelphia City Council seemed preoccupied Thursday with transportation, processing bills that dealt with skateboards, bikes, and even horses.

Also, the members plan to examine U.S. Rep. Bob Brady's idea of using profits from a casino to fund schools and the municipal pension system - a proposal the Nutter administration says may be illegal.

Council returned Thursday to legislation shelved two months ago, after a lobbying effort by a group of skateboarders convinced the members that a bill to increase penalties for defacing public art was ill-conceived and vague.

The bill, put forth by Mayor Nutter, was in response to skateboarders' damaging war memorials and public art - most famously, the "glob" of paint as part of the Paint Torch sculpture on North Broad Street - while doing tricks.

The skateboarders said they had no guidance on where skating was prohibited, and said the bill failed to define public art and had penalties that were too harsh.

The bill's sponsor, David Oh, since has met with a group of skateboarders, and he introduced an amendment Thursday that would require clear signs where skateboarding is prohibited - such as LOVE Park, a frequent skater haven. The amendment also reduces the fines and penalties from the original bill.

Council will seek to vote on the bill again next week.

Council passed the "Complete Streets" bill, a series of rules and regulations designed to balance the needs of motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Among the provisions are fines for bikers who ignore traffic lights and drivers who park in bike lanes.

Also Thursday, William K. Greenlee introduced a bill that would establish regulations for keeping horses in the city, requiring at least a quarter-acre of ground, among other provisions.

City residents' owning horses is not as rare as it might sound. Greenlee said he once had a neighbor in Fairmount who kept one in a small backyard.

And Council passed a resolution calling for a hearing next year on Brady's casino idea. Kenyatta Johnson, whose district would house the proposed casino in South Philadelphia, was the prime sponsor.

That proposal is one of six under consideration for the city's remaining gaming license. Johnson's resolution would focus on a proposed site at Third Street and Packer Avenue.

Oh cast the lone dissenting vote on the resolution, saying the hearing could give the impression Council favored one plan.