North Adams Council Tosses Parking Ordinance
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday rejected a plan to put meters in the Central Street parking lot.
The vote was unanimous; Councilor Ronald Boucher was absent.
The ordinance, which would have made the Center Street parking fees the same as other spaces, had already been published and passed to a second reading on a vote of 7-2 two weeks.
But the objections of some stakeholders around the lot led the Public Safety Committee to hold a second meeting to hear them out. More than two dozen showed up to state their opposition to the idea, saying it would cause problems, not solve them.
"It kind of changed my mind on things," said Councilor Robert M. Moulton Jr., chairman of the committee, who originally voted for the change.
The ordinance had been brought the council at the request of the Traffic Commission. Mayor Richard Alcombright said the requested change was prompted by the difficulty in enforcing current parking strictures.
The lot has permitted spaces and ticketed spaces, but the two ticket kiosks that haven't worked in years. Putting in the meters at an estimated cost of $5,000 would allow officers to easier see who had overstayed the paid limit of 25 cents an hour. But, it would also remove the current two-hour free parking.
While the ordinance change did not specifically address revenue, the mayor said there was a concern that the current "free" parking situation would dissuade people from buying permits, which bring in about $40,000 a year.
That wasn't the message from the many businesses and residents that surround the lot. They strongly indicated that metering the lot would discourage customers and visitors, and indicated more permitted parking would be welcome.
Councilor Kate Merrigan, also a member of the Public Safety Committee, said she had gone in in favor of the meters as a short-term solution until a more comprehensive parking plan could be developed.
"I came out planning to vote against," she said.
The council's focus had been "what is the problem we're trying to solve," Merrigan said. "My thinking is it didn't solve a problem."
What particularly struck her was that some the holders of some 80 percent of the permits were not only against the idea but wanted more permits.
Councilor Keith Bona, who with Councilor Lisa Blackmer had voted against the ordinance two weeks ago, said there were several ideas that could be explored relative to the city-owned lot. Some of the ideas that been raised were to possibly lease or sell the lot to the businesses that use it.
In any case, the council would have to take up the ordinance in the future because as it stands there is no way to enforce it, he said.
Both Councilors Josh Moran and Nancy Bullett agreed that the "meters went away" when it became apparent that the permit holders had no issue with the free parking that was occurring.
"Rather than jumping to a metered system, we need to look at a more comprehensive plan," Bullett said.
Blackmer said the city has to consider the expansion of residential uses in the downtown, and future needs for parking. She also asked that the council think twice before passing anything it's unsure of to a second reading because of the cost of publishing ordinances.
"I would rather we exhaust our committee options before we pass to a second reading," she said.
The councilors were pleased that the last Public Safety Committee meeting had been so well attended, civil and informative, with Bona calling it his "favorite meeting" so far of his term.
The mayor said the meters would have been easier "from a purely enforcement" stance but he would "accept a no vote with a smile."
He anticipated hiring a city planner in the coming months who could begin to put together a more comprehensive plan for city parking.
Planned upgrades to the parking lot will move forward as scheduled.
In other business:
• The council continued approved placement of a utility pole on Old Shaft Road. National Grid did not have a representative able to attend to answer questions from the owner of the property, but Public Works Commissioner Timothy Lescarbeau said he reviewed the site.
Lescarbeau said he couldn't answer on behalf the utility but felt the impact of the pole would be minimal. The mayor said he would relay the homeowner's concerns to National Grid. She indicated she was satisfied with that and the council approved it.
• The council passed on a final reading ordinance language related to employee benefits with some amended language by Councilor Eric Buddington.
Tags: parking, parking meters,
