No Parking: Hoxsey Street Issue Settled
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Police Chief Kyle Johnson, backed by Fire Chief Craig Pedercini, had requested two weeks ago that parking be prohibited on Hoxsey after cars lined along both sides of the street during Williams College's commencement and alumni weekends had raised safety issues.
Emergency vehicles could not make it down the narrow, well-traveled roadway, they said, if cars were parked on each side.
After a rather tortuous debate on June 9, the Selectmen could only agree on banning parking on the west side of the street, on the presumption that emergency vehicles would be turning in from Main Street onto the east-side lane.
Resident Peter Bubriski arrived at Monday's meeting armed with a handmade map showing in deep red all the parking available around Hoxsey and wondering why parking would be needed streetside to begin with.
"The question I guess I have is, why the need of parking on Hoxsey Street?" said Bubriski."There is worlds o' parking behind the college."
Town Manager Peter Fohlin said the parking change on Hoxsey had occurred in 2003, when a number of parking regulations were cleaned up because of errors in measurement and language.
"At that time, the Hoxsey Street parking prohibition was relieved so people who live on the street would have the accommodations of most other streets" for overflow guests, said Fohlin, in updating Selectman David Rempell, who had been absent for the debate two weeks ago.
But while the prohibition was lifted, some of the signs were never removed. "I didn't know there was parking and most other people didn't know either," said Johnson, who had asked for the signs to re-installed after the street's recent reconstruction.
 Williamstown Selectmen Richard Steege, left, and David Rempell listen as Chairwoman Jane Allen reads the certificate for fence viewer. |
"I think it's narrow and I'm concerned about it," he said, adding that there was a great deal of traffic along the street and limited visibility because of parked vehicles.
Johnson said the Police Department's portable radar machine had counted an average of 2,025 vehicles a day, more than 14,000 from June 12 to 19.
Both Bubriski and Selectman Richard Steege said they had spoken to residents on the street, none of whom were in favor of street parking.
Rempell moved that if there was not "an urgent plea to create parking" that it be prohibited on both sides. The motion was approved 3-0; Selectmen Ronald Turbin and Thomas Costley, who had been concerned about limiting parking without residents' input, were not in attendance.
Bubriski agreed that the locked gate on Hoxsey Street to the large college lot be opened; Fohlin said the gate had been locked because Bubriski's mother, Dagmar Bubriski, had requested it because of traffic concerns.
"One of the reasons people don't use that lot is because they can't access it — they can't even find it," said Fohlin, who plans to ask the appropriate board to reopen the gate.
An Honored Position
In a more lighthearted moment, a gleeful Cheryl Shanks was presented with a certificate confirming her as one of the town's three fence viewers.
She was named by the board "with all the rights, privileges, power and authority appurtenanced to," read Allen from the certificate.
Turning to Fohlin, Allen asked if he could explain what a fence viewer does. Fohlin, ever prepared, immediately pulled out some information for the board and joked that "the hour is late and we don't have the time to list all the duties of the fence viewer."
"Not long ago an important job in every American town was that of the fence viewer. There is nothing for fence-viewers to do today," said Fohlin, quoting from "Eric Sloane's America," adding "not everyone shares that opinion" to laughter from the board and the handful of audience members.
(The book also says the office is often "bestowed upon deserving citizens as a practical joke.")
Originally, the proprietors of a town would set up a common field for the community, he said, "which you might recognize as being a called a 'proprietor's field' (the name of the town's elderly housing facility)and that common field would be divided up much like today's community gardens."
 Cheryl Shanks receives her seal of authority as a town fence viewer from Town Manager Peter Fohlin. |
"I imagine after this we're going to have 25 people who want to be fence viewers," said Rempell. "Especially with a certificate like that," said Steege.
Allen noted that Shanks may have "set some kind of town record for being appointed to most committees in one evening."
Shanks was also appointed to the Affordable Housing Committee (along with Cathy Yamamoto) and Mobile Home Rent Control Board. (Cheryl Yarter was named to the Municipal Scholarship Committee; Anne Skinner to the Cable Television Advisory Committee and Scott Park to the Northern Berkshire Solid Wast Management District. Harold Brotzman and Richard Shlesinger were confirmed to the Conservation Commission.
Shanks was most pleased with her certificate as fence viewer and "deeply honored ... this is something."
Asked what she'd do if actually called to fence dispute, she responded: "Ask for $5."
