By Pauline Masson –
The request for limited parking in front of a facility that serves addiction recovery individuals led to a lengthy discussion on parking in general and disagreement among aldermen. Acting police chief called for hiring a traffic specialist to study congestion parking at the site and offer sugggestions.
The discussion took place at the Mar. 4 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting.
The Tuesday evening discussion that followed did not address the location of the limited parking request but focused on how to make any parking restriction in the area near the building fair to all. Customers of businesses located near the North Columbus and East Union intersection use the parking spaces. Area residents and their guests also have access to the spaces.
On the agenda was a proposed ordinance crafted at the request of Allenton Foundation Pacific Facility’s request for limited parking in front of their building, the former Masonic Lodge at 202 N. Columbus. The Facility building manager said vehicles are frequently parked in the spaces near the facility for days on end, preventing recovery clients from fair access to the building.
The Facility had asked the City to enact a regulation setting a two-hour limit on parking there.
Creating what appeared to be a bit of confusion, the request called for limited parking a 202 East Columbus. Since the street runs north and south there is no East Columbus. The address of the building is 202 North Columbus.
For some unexplained reason, Attorney Bob Jones wrote a proposed ordinance limiting parking at the side of the building on East Union, with no mention of parking in the fourteen spaces between Osage and Union streets on Columbus Street in front of the building.
Alderman Debbie Kelley said the street parking at the intersection is public parking and should be left as it is.
But actng police chief Don Locke said parking near the intersection is confusing to officers. Some vehicles that are parked there have out-of-date license plates. it is unclear whether police can tow a parked vehicle with expired plates. Major Locke also said it appears that some parked vehicles are those of customers of a nearby auto repair shop waiting to get into the shop for repairs, or completed and waiting to be picked up by owners.
He sugggested that the city hire a traffic consultant with experience in congestion parking to study the intersection and offer a plan that would be fair to all motorists and clarify the rules for his officers.
Aldermen opted instead to speak individually with local business owners to learn their customers’ parking practices, when and how long they routinely park there, and come up with an ordinance that serves all motorists, or take no action.
It is uncertain where the proposed ordinance limiting parking on Union Street from Columbus to the alley stands.
The entire lengthy and unusually thorough discussion was recorded and can be viewed on the City of Pacific YouTube page.
I live on 213 E. Union. The only place I have to park is in front of my house which is right by there place. I have an agreement with them that they don’t park in front of my house. Some abide by that and some don’t. We have live here longer then they were there. Furthermore we were never notified that they were moving in there.