<< Back 9/18/02 Sylva considers youth curfew SMN Sylva aldermen will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 3 at Town Hall to take comments on a proposed curfew. The town’s public safety committee, at the urging of Sylva Police Chief Jeff Jamison, has been considering an ordinance since mid-July. According to Town Manager Richard McHargue, the police department has seen an increase in juveniles 15 years of age and younger out around town at all hours of the night. McHargue said the purpose of the proposed ordinance is to insure the safety of Sylva’s youth and place the responsibility of knowing where one’s children are on the parents. The ordinance, which is based on one in place in Hendersonville, states: “The purpose of this ordinance is to assist the parents and guardians of minors in the increasingly difficult task of child rearing and to promote the health, safety, and welfare of both minors and adults in the Town of Sylva by creating an environment offering better protection and security for all concerned.” The ordinance would make it unlawful for anyone under 16 who is not married or emancipated to be at any public place in the Town of Sylva between midnight and 5 a.m. Exceptions would be allowed for minors accompanied by a parent or guardian and minors traveling between home and place of employment, place of worship, government building, or any school sanctioned function. The ordinance also states: “It is unlawful for any parent, guardian, or other person charged with the care and custody of any minor to allow such a minor to be in a public place within curfew hours ...” McHargue said feedback from the draft ordinance had been good, and he felt it was supported by the board, the police chief and most parents in the community.