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B-ball fan won�t lose home court photo by Jim Craven Council gives special dispensation to dead-end street�s hoop set-up By Jessica Smith Eric Niemeyer�s got game � and no one can take it away from him. Except maybe the Medford City Council. Niemeyer, a county traffic engineer, asked for and received the council�s permission Thursday to play basketball in the street in front of his Willamette Avenue home. About a month ago, Medford police showed up at Niemeyer�s home to tell him there�d been a complaint about the setup. The hoop stands in the street, butted up against the curb. Officers told Niemeyer to move it. "I started to roll the hoop off the street and I just felt terrible," said Niemeyer, who plays regularly with his 12-year-old son, Jacob. The painted half-court � it meets NBA regulations, thank you � is popular with the neighborhood kids, and Niemeyer wanted to keep it that way. "So I looked into the city ordinances and I found a special clause to do that," Niemeyer said. The city prohibits residents from attaching objects to the ground in a public right of way without the council�s consent. Niemeyer and his son took their case to the council during its evening session Thursday. Memories of stickball and other street games softened the council, which granted Niemeyer�s request after some discussion about the precedent it was setting. "We may be talking about a lot of basketball, gentleman," Council President Sal Esquivel warned. There may be a number of residents looking for the same allowance, he and others noted. But the group voted unanimously to direct city staff to prepare a letter authorizing Niemeyer�s basketball hoop. The fact that Niemeyer lives on a dead-end road, where Willamette runs into Bear Creek Park, also helped his case. Only two homes have access to the road and traffic is minimal, Niemeyer said. Niemeyer and his neighbors are free to throw the ball around but they�re not allowed to disturb others, Councilman John Michaels said. "This is not blanket permission to be playing all night long. Be a good neighbor," he told Niemeyer. Medford police Lt. Tim George said Niemeyer also must adhere to city noise ordinances. And, technically, Niemeyer should get permission for the white lines he painted on the road for the court. "But I don�t think that�s going to matter much to anyone," George said. "He�s got a regulation half-court out there. I�ve always admired it." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA