Marengo continues to discuss parking restrictions near hospital

MARENGO — Citing safety concerns, the Marengo City Council’s safety committee asked that the council again consider restricting parking on Lafayette Avenue.

“Something’s got to be done,” said Councilman Jon Hinshaw. It can’t stay the way it is.

Councilwoman Jennifer Olson said that residents on Lafayette can fit two vehicles in their driveways and shouldn’t need parking on the street.

“I feel like the goal post keeps getting moved,” said Hinshaw. Residents object to a complete parking ban on both sides of the street, but say they are OK with parking on one side only.

When the council presents that option, said Hinshaw, the council still votes no.

Hinshaw said he had no problem with residents having to walk a few extra steps to their homes if parking is restricted to the opposite side of the street.

Residents said they’d accept parking on one side, said Olson. “We offered it,” but the plan was voted down by the city council.

That’s because the safety committee offered only half the east side for parking, not all of the east side, said Councilman Travis Schlabach, who continues to vote against parking restrictions on the street south of Compass Memorial Hospital.

With no reported accidents on the street, Schlabach doesn’t see a safety issue, he said. And no one has complained to him about the traffic.

Initially, the hospital had requested parking restrictions to alleviate congestion and safety concerns on the block of Lafayette south of the hospital’s main entrance.

When the council voted against the measure, the hospital walked away from the issue, said Hinshaw.

But Hinshaw and Olson, City Administrator Karla Marck and Police Chief Ben Gray say the street needs parking restrictions to make it safe in light of the increased traffic to the hospital.

Schlabach suggested waiting until the hospital comes up with a plan for the street as it completes its expansion project.

“We have to look out for all the residents of the city,” said Schlabach, not just the hospital.

Because Lafayette narrows at the north end, it doesn’t have room for two-way traffic if vehicles are parked there, said Marck.

Schlabach doesn’t want to limit parking just because people have to wait for a car coming the other direction.

“We have spent too much time on this,” said Mayor Adam Rabe, trying to curb discussion.

Earlier in June, Hinshaw and Olson voted to set a public hearing for the ordinance to prohibit parking on the west side of Lafayette Avenue from main Street to May Street and on the east side from May Street south for 160-feet.

Councilman Bill Kreis and Schlabach voted no, and the motion failed 2-2.

The tie-breaking vote would have come from Wayson-Kisling, who was absent.

During the June 27 meeting, Wayson-Kisling moved to allow no parking on the west side of Lafayette or on the east side north of the alley.

“That’s what the last motion was that failed,” said Schlabach.

But Wayson-Kisling wasn’t present at that meeting, Olson said. Olson moved to include the setting of a public hearing for that proposal on the next council agenda so the full council can vote.

Schlabach and Kreis voted against the motion; Hinshaw, Olson and Wayson-Kisling voted in favor.