Parking lot change gets cool reception

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Editor

When the idea of changing the parking hours at the City of Burlington’s livery lot – the strip parking lot located along the railroad tracks between Milwaukee Avenue and East Chestnut Street – was first floated in 2011, it got tabled when support began to wane.

The subject came up again Tuesday evening – according to city staff, because of a request made by business owners that use the parking lot – and found about as much support as it did the first time around.

With the owners of four different businesses in attendance, the questions of how to switch the lot from 24-hour to three-hour parking and still be fair to residents living in apartments in the area were addressed.

Judging by the response from the business owners in attendance, any change would not necessarily be welcome.

“I’ve got nothing against Fred’s or John’s (Main Event),” said CNC Parts owner Al Strelbicki. “You’ve let both of them, rightfully so, expand their businesses. And now you want to restrict the parking, for their purpose. And I think it’s for their purpose.”

Strelbicki said he has two older employees who cannot walk the two blocks from the parking garage, as does Burlington Flowers and Interiors owner Kevin O’Brien (also in attendance).

Chocolate Expression owner Judie Lemieux said that parking has always been at a premium in that part of the city, and the parking ramp isn’t any panacea.

“Have you ever parked over there?” she asked. She said numerous residents from that area are using the ramp to walk their dogs as well, and aren’t picking up after their animals.

“That’s disgusting,” she said.

O’Brien said he walks his beagle greeter from the store in that area – “and I pick up after him.” But after he and Lemieux exchanged pleasantries over that, he added that he doesn’t see a huge problem in that parking lot, nor a compelling reason to change the hours.

John Puntillo of John’s Main Event essentially agreed.

“I didn’t really lean one way or the other,” he said when he had been approached by Fred Mabson, the owner of Fred’s Parkview, the corner bar/restaurant at Milwaukee and Pine.

He did support the idea raised by a few different aldermen at the meeting though – the idea of perhaps limiting the lot during the daytime hours to three hours.

However, there were then questions raised about enforcement options, especially given the city has cut back on policing staff.

Other matters

Also discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday night:

• The approval of $10,000 for the annual Fourth of July fireworks. While the amount wasn’t in dispute, what the city was getting for its money was.

“I’m not impressed,” said Alderman Ruth Dawidziak. “My kids fall asleep during it.”

After discussing a few different options – which included the location of the fireworks display and comparing the show to the one on Venetian Night out on Browns Lake – city staff agree to look into possible changes.

• The City Council approved a change order to the 2014 Streets and Sidewalk repair program. The cost of the repairs is $78,985, and will use the rest of the proceeds from the 2012 general obligation bonds the city got.

When asked why there was money left over, Lahner answered that the original projects came in at less than expected.