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South Freeport Traffic and Parking Committee Minutes
October 10, 2007
Susanna Liller, John Thomas, Faith Baker, Herb Taylor, Eric Horne, Suanne Williams-Lindgren, John Brewer
Attachment: Amendment 4F
September Minutes
The Committee reviewed last month’s minutes. Faith submitted some corrections – which were accepted. Minutes approved unanimously.
Check-In on Committee Progress
Susanna went around the room to see where people thought the committee was at:
John T: Thought committee made significant suggestions. Tried some important ideas. Not all of them worked, but they offer a good point of reference for future discussions. The shuttle didn’t work this time, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work if done differently in the future.
John B: Thought it was a better summer. Will see the process through.
Faith: The size of the Committee is dwindling – want to be sure that multiple groups/perspectives continue to be represented. We collected a lot of data about current parking habits that could be important to tracking trends in the future. Committee made some recommendations that did help. Agree with John T. that shuttle shouldn’t be considered a failure. Does not think we should get involved in Main St. issues or removing any more parking spaces in the village unless there is a plan to replace them somewhere else.
Herb: Thought committee offered a good short-term response to problems from last year (06). Committee’s agenda was ambitious. This summer was better than last. Two key improvements that came from the committee: 1) Brewer lot was reorganized which helped a lot, and; 2) Police presence was hugely helpful. Going forward, does not want to get involved in parking issues on Main Street in S.Freeport. If there are public safety issues (traffic flow, room for emergency vehicles, etc.) let the Town deal with that. Wants to finish as expeditiously as possible and submit a modest proposal to the Council.
Eric: Felt that important progress was made. Glad we tried various ideas. Existence of the committee helped calm things down. Hopefully the calm will last. If there are any ideas left on the ‘long-term’ list, would be glad to tackle those, but process feels like it is coming to a close.
Suanne: Wanted to clarify that early on, the Council wanted to have multiple ‘stakeholders’ representing lots of constituents, but shifted to having a Parking Committee comprised of people with open minds. It would have been good to hear from stakeholders in the community. Committee sifted through a lot of data and field tested the right things. Conflicts on committee were dealt with well. Process winding down.
Susanna: Committee has done very well. Police report was very positive. A lot of good work in just 9 months. Final steps: Issue final recommendations? Traffic & Parking Committee involvement? Public Involvement?
Next Steps
Committee felt that we should move towards final recommendations. Concern expressed about public input. Noted that all our meetings have been open to the public. If any of our recommendations result in proposed ordinance changes, a public hearing is required anyway. There is opportunity for public involvement during that process.
No formal process from our committee to solicit feedback, but some individuals within committee did solicit feedback on their own.
Susanna: Do we want to administer a survey to solicit feedback?
Committee: Not at this point. Lots of data already. Major issues covered.
Herb: Recommendations should be brief. We’ve addressed a lot of the unpleasantness from last year. Going forward, there are already entities that can manage the process over the long-term (Traffic & Parking, Council, etc.).
John T: This issue [parking tensions] will probably re-surface in some years from now, but this committee’s report will be important as a reference point for future discussions. Would like to see a report that:
1) Lists the ideas that we talked about;
2) Offers recommendations as to what the Council should and should not do.
Regarding the shuttle, with some adjustments, it could well work and be a viable alternative.
Faith: Agree, in the future, shuttle could be a way to handle increased tourist traffic-could be preferred alternative to bringing more vehicles into the village.
Report should include things the Council should consider – not just specific recommendations. Encourage Traffic and Parking to continue where they left off in considering resident leasing of personal property for parking. Restrictions and flexibility are obviously needed, but if done right, can help ease the crunch.
Susanna: It sounds like it is time to collect what we’ve done, pull together what we want for recommendations, consider a few other ideas, and get this material into a report for the Council.
Brief Discussion of Police Data – Brewer Leased Lot
Suanne: Data not complete but helpful. Would be useful to have more data points in the future. A good start.
Eric: Some trends visible in data – clearly there is heavy use on the weekends, and light use during the week. Should we consider offering/selling week-day passes to non-residents to make more use of the lot?
Faith: In Brewer lot, it might be better to continue with resident only sticker parking through summer 2008 before we consider allowing non-residents in. It takes a year, at least, for regulars to adjust to parking changes. Not good to change lot again so soon without full summer of resident permit implementation.
Herb: Would like to see it remain residents only. Can Brewer accommodate more cars in its marina lot? Question to John B: Can Brewers further help to serve the needs of the working waterfront? There will always be major problems – access is limited. There is a need for “common sense, courtesy, civility and cooperation”. That would be very helpful. And there is a place for this [highlighting the need] in the report.
John B: We do allow some use by clammers – if they want to come in with their truck and load up their clams instead of lugging them long distances, we try to accommodate that, but Brewers can not accommodate parking for several of these commercial vehicles for regular parking. We have a regular customer base that relies on their parking space being there, and we know how dragging equipment over the docks can tear them up.
Faith: Asked John B. about historical Soule building-unsafe, ugly, falling down, obvious usable space. Can it come down?
John B: It will come down and will be filled. Most of the space will expand travel lift operation, but any increase in usable space down there helps the parking situation.
Preliminary Recommendations
1) Keep enforcement going strong;
2) Keep the same rules for 2008 regarding Brewer Lease Lot (residents only, sticker requirement, etc.);
3) Keep collecting data – more if possible. Traffic and Parking could continue to track.
HERB TOOK OVER THE NOTE-TAKING HERE…
Issues suggested for future study/consideration
1. Home owners in the waterfront area might wish to lease out parking spaces for non-resident users. This would have to be carefully controlled to avoid jeopardizing village character and creating additional traffic and safety problems.
2. The present 60 minute limit and resident override (with sticker) on the southwest side of Main Street could be reviewed by the Traffic and Parking Committee in order to minimize present inconsistencies in enforcement. (See Al Presgrave’s email attached, with Amendment)
3. More complete data could be collected concerning availability of parking for non-resident commercial users of the waterfront area (e.g. fishermen, contractors, etc.): present data is inconclusive.
4. Running a shuttle could be considered in the future if need is identified and some of the drawbacks encountered this year could be overcome.
5. Safety and traffic concerns resulting from on-street parking on Main Street could be reviewed by the Traffic and Parking Committee in cooperation with the Police and Fire Departments.
Next meeting
The primary purpose of our next meeting will be to complete review of our final report in preparation for submission to the Town Council.
Susanna will advise us concerning the date: either 10/30 or 11/7.
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Respectfully submitted,
[Eric Horne] and Herb Taylor
Al Presgrave’s email to S.Liller / Committee:
I don't know when it (the sticker system and override) went into effect, but 17 or 18 years ago sounds good. And at least partly because it was not being enforced, the Traffic & Parking Committee and the Town Council took out the sticker requirement-- this change was approved by the Town Council on September 7, 2004; copy of the Amendment is attached.
At that time, the sticker requirement was removed for both the Brewer lot and the one-hour parking override. More recently, the sticker requirement was added back for the Brewer lot. You and the Committee probably know when this happened better than I do; it did not come through the Traffic & Parking Committee, but was changed by the Town Council.
So, it looks like changes will continue in the future, as they should, of course.
-Albert
AMENDMENT
CHAPTER 48 TRAFFIC AND PARKING ORDINANCE
Section 48-220 308 South Freeport Wharf Parking
Night parking restrictions as described in Article II, Section 8 Section 48-208 of this Ordinance shall be in effect at all times on both sides of Main Street, South Freeport from the Municipal Wharf in a northwesterly direction for a distance of three-hundred (300) feet. The following parking restrictions will also apply:
1. Day parking in the space shall be allowed at a diagonal angle on Main Street, South Freeport for three-hundred (300) feet in a northwesterly direction from the Municipal Wharf on the southerly most side; and for one-hundred and fifty (150) feet in a northwesterly direction on the northerly most side.
2. Parallel parking shall be allowed during the day and in a parallel position for one-hundred fifty (150) feet in a northwesterly direction from the end of the diagonal parking also on the northerly most side.
3. No vehicle shall be allowed to stop or park abutting to or on the Municipal Wharf.
4. One parking space at the northeast corner of the Municipal Wharf shall be reserved and designated for parking by the Harbormaster only.
5. One parking space at the southeast corner of the Municipal Wharf shall be reserved and designated for loading and unloading with a 15 minute limit.
(And re-number remaining sections after 48-220)
Section 48-222 The Police Department may cause any vehicle parked for a period of twenty-four (24) or more consecutive hours on a public way in violation of the parking provisions of the Traffic Ordinance to be removed from the street at the expense of the registered owner of such vehicle(s). The twenty-four (24) hour provision will not apply to sections of this Ordinance which state, "Illegally parked vehicles will be towed."
Section 48-303 One Hour Parking Zones
No vehicle shall stop, stand or park for a longer period than one (1) hour from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the following specified locations:
1. On the southerly most side of Bow Street from the first driveway below Main Street to Depot Street.
2. On the south side of Mechanic Street from Main Street for a distance of one hundred (100) feet.
3. On the southern most side of School Street starting at 40' from the intersection with Main Street to a point fifty (50) feet west of Middle Street.
4. On the southerly most side of Main Street, South Freeport, from the Municipal Wharf for one hundred fifty feet (150') to the driveway entrance in a northerly direction. Vehicles with resident stickers may park for an indefinite time from 6:00 a.m. to 12 midnight in spaces designated for (1) hour parking; all night parking and parking in loading areas are prohibited. Resident stickers can be obtained at the Town Clerk's office. Proof of residency will be required.
Section 48-308 The Police Department may cause any vehicle parked for a period of twenty-four (24) or more consecutive hours on a public way in violation of the parking provisions of the Traffic Ordinance to be removed from the street at the expense of the registered owner of such vehicle(s). The twenty-four (24) hour provision will not apply to sections of this Ordinance which state, "Illegally parked vehicles will be towed."
Section 48-309 Parking at Leased Lot in South Freeport
The Town may lease the parking lot located on land identified as Tax Map 2, Lot 52 between June 24 and October 1 each year. Under such a lease, the following parking restrictions shall be in effect:
1. Parking shall be restricted to Freeport residents only.
2. No overnight parking is allowed.
3. No commercial activities or uses are allowed.
And re-number existing Section 48-309 and remaining sections.
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