5.21.2025 Traffic Board

All right. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.

Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.

Start off roll call. Lieutenant Dart for PD. Stephanie MacArthur, director of traffic and parking. Natalie Melo. Helen Rigo. Charlie Deada DCM John Le Point.

All right. Uh we have a motion to accept the minutes from last month's meeting, April 16, 2025. Motion to accept.

Second. Seconded by John. Any oppose?

Seeing none. Motion carries. Uh is there anyone here that is not on tonight's agenda that's here for citizen input? Everyone received a letter to address the board.

Excellent. All right. Before we get into um what's on the agenda, there's uh one quick thing we're going to go over. Um the city has discussed um placing what is uh going to be referred to as speed tables.

They are the ones that are wider than your traditional speed hump or speed bump. Um it's a raised surface. they're going to be placed in different locations throughout the city um that have been earmarked for um accidents or problematic speeding.

So, uh one of the areas in particular would be like up in the industrial park where we were getting a lot of drag racers and things of that nature. Um those will be annotated and uh approved through traffic in the city um through several locations um in the very near future. Is there anything else we needed to document on that? Nope.

Okay. First thing we have curb cuts. So we have 166 Wilson Road.

Engineer Department reviewed this application. Found no issues. There a motion. Motion. Second. Seconded by John. Any opposed? Motion carries. Tabled from last month.

Uh time signs on Sixth Street. Sixth Street.

Oh, that wasn't that wasn't tabled. Yes. Oh, none. I'm sorry. Yep. You're right. Uh Rich's Auto Body and Painting 446th Street. Going once, twice. Have a motion to table. Motion to table. Second. Seconded by Charlie. Any opposed? Seeing none, table next month.

We also have indelible link right change the time signs one from 1 hour to three-hour parking Monday through Saturday.

Uh 8 to 11.

So currently the signage is there from a previous business. Uh we would just be changing the times on the sign. So they're going to keep the same measurements that are in ordinance. It's just change changing the times for the hours of operation for the new business.

I see no issues with this request. Is there a motion on the table? Motion to accept.

Second. I noticed one of the parking signs was on the utility pole which made it a little confusing for people parking because it was a very long distance to the actual one that was the metal post.

When I talked to the parking the sign guy who was pulling the other signs off, I asked him, he says he could definitely fix the one that's kind of falling over.

I asked if we could put one like close.

It look like there was two parking spots. can be a little confusing. I just don't want my customers talking in the business which is Sun China and then there's a new Persian Indian place because sometimes they'll pop over there. They're like, "Oh, where'd you park?" And I don't want to irritate any of the uh other companies and his own.

So, you're requesting your own standalone post. There's one now, but they had a second sign on the utility pole. It was like right before the uh right after the parking lot, so it almost looked like it was kind of them, right? That way there's at least because there's plenty of room for two to three pocket spots. And then I wasn't sure if it was possible to possibly put for indelible inc. It was probably a big no

no. Um only so that um my customers know to park there and not to park in front of the other business. I I didn't know if that was a possibility. The the signage can't say specific for the business. But I mean when you the business requests certain hours that's what it would be for. But to put the actual business name on the signage is So I had previously made a sign on um

Amazon. you can make like signs and it said, you know, parking for indelible link. I was wondering if it's a smaller sign. If it's possible, I could put that under it. Uh if that would be an issue, if it wasn't like a height issue or it's like probably Yeah, you can't do that on the city post unfortunately. Okay. Um signage that people usually put up is like no trespassing, things of that

nature. Um but to to annotate any public parking on the roadway to a specific business, this just isn't a lot of just this way when people drive by. No, I get it. They get really confused. They don't know where to go. They don't even realize they can park there even though there's like a huge sign that says pocket. I'm like I think they get used to it after a while but it's kind of new

for the my customers now. Yeah, we'll adjust the times from 1 to 3 and uh we'll have that sign um fixed and have another post put up. So it's off to uh no tabled handicap requests. I think the one um Richard's auto body 446.

This is me.

All right. Uh we voted to table this. So willing to uh open this back up since they just walked in.

Uh you want time signs on Sixth Street?

Nope. So, this request um actually came in through the traffic department. The time signs that are there, uh the traffic department had received a complaint that one of the time signs were missing. Um so, it's a business, Choco Latte, that actually has the time signs at 326th Street. Uh Richard's Auto Body is on the side of this business at 446th Street. Um when the maintenance crew went to place the additional sign

that was missing, um Richard's auto body did contact the office and stated that the sign did go in front of his business essentially um based on the measurement.

So he was requesting that it be basically changed, the measurements be changed. That's an ordinance for the business.

But my only concern with that is where Richard's auto body is stating um it's parking in front of his business. It is a curb cut. So technically there should be no parking there. Mhm.

Bring it so you can kind of get a view if I may. Yeah. So I own uh the cafe on the side of it. Mhm. So I brought this up about a year say 14 months ago. You know, I had a meeting with Coogan and everybody up there. We're supposed to add curbing. So, we add parking there.

And that was supposed to be done before the signs went up so the signs could be moved back. Okay. To allow Richard to park and my customers as well. So, we we don't place curbing here. Unfortunately, it's not us. So, I mean, if you want us to remove the signs until the curbing is placed, that's totally up to you. We can we can remove everything for you if you'd like. I guess uh the question

would be who do I do I go back to curbing as far as the the curb adding like adding parks basically cuz there was like three curb cuts that so I mean I don't want to give you misinformation that's the engineering department that lays that out. Yeah, we had a meeting with them. So they're the ones that you're going to have to follow up with as far as when they intend on on

squaring that away for you. Um, if you'd like just to satisfy this for now, like Stephanie already brought up, um, what we can do is folks to just remove the signage now. You guys kind of just, you know, make do with what you have and then once that is put up, you can come back with a quick petition to have, uh, or request rather to have signage placed and how and where you want it.

Absolutely. Could we also change the sign say till 200 p.m.? So, because we're going to vote now to have it removed once it is sorted out and you're ready to have it back when you fill out the same thing you did to come out back here, have it say what you wanted to say and then we could just vote and say, "Yep, good to go." Good. All right. So, uh, quick motion on the table to remove

the motion to resend signage that is in front of this location now. First motion made by John. Second. Second by Natalie.

Any opposed? Seeing none, we'll get those taken care of. Thank you. Thank you.

Yep. All right. Moving on to handicap.

We have 278 Locust Street. 278 Locust. Hello.

This is a different plan. Yes.

Listen, we can't just make these changes without talking to you first.

That uh driveway to the left of your property is not your driveway. I see motions with this one.

Is there a motion on two? Motion to accept. Second. Seconded. Any opposed? Seeing none, all set. Give it like 12 weeks and uh you'll have your handicap signage. Yep.

Um 49 Cambridge. Hello.

Any questions? for this? No. Is there a motion? Make a motion to accept it.

Motion to accept by Charlie. Second.

Seconded by John. Any opposed? Seeing none, all set, ma'am.

Same thing like 12 weeks. Thank you.

Yep. 45 do. Hello.

Is there a motion?

Motion to approve.

Motion made by John. Second. Second by Charlie. Any opposed? Seeing none. All set, sir. 12 weeks. Thank you very much.

Yep.

655 Charles.

Yes. Yes, ma'am. Yeah.

the only one.

She has a garage.

He has a garage.

Uh, ma'am, this is your property. Yes.

Okay. That uh giant garage is part of your property. Yeah. There's one car in the garage and there's no room for another car. If we put another car in the garage, you can't open the doors.

That's how tight it is. Whose car is in the garage? There's one car in the garage.

My car is in the garage. His car is parked on the street where the handicap parking was. He can't put his car in my car in the garage cuz he can't get out the door.

So, you guys already have a handicap sign? I can't hear you. You guys already have a handicap sign out in front? Can I get I'm hard of hearing? Sure.

You guys already have a handicap sign in front of the house? I had a tenant and she had the handicap. She died. They came and they took off the handicap, but the poles are there. Mhm. It's on Milk Street right near our garage. Where did you park when you had your tenant there?

He was parking. He started We have a new car.

He was She got rid of her car. When we got the new car, he was parking in the handicap. He who? your h your husband, right? So, you guys were just using your tenants handicap spot. We Yeah, she didn't have She had to She got rid of her car. She wasn't using the space anymore. Gotcha. Both you and your husband are handicapped.

And you as well? Pardon me. You have a handicap black as well? He had No, not I don't have a handicap. He does. Okay.

All right. So, um so unfortunately this is this is where it gets tricky for us.

Um, and I hope hopefully you can understand and hear me out here. We don't make the guidelines for this or the rules. We just enforce whatever the city has already set forth. All right?

So, the way it works is if you don't drive, you don't get a handicap spot. If you don't own a car, you don't get a handicap spot obviously, right? If you have off- streetet parking available to you is also a disqual disqualifier. You won't get handicap parking space. So technically what the city would turn around and say is okay I understand you have uh your husband who's handicapped the handicap

he can utilize the driveway which is off streetet and you would park your car on the street because you don't have handicap placards.

So what you're saying is I have to park on the street and he has to park in the garage. Yeah. Because you guys have hand uh you have off streetet parking available. Um that's how the city would look at it. There are a couple of options for you. I can give you some answers to the test, a little cheat code, if you will. This has been a tough day. I listen and that's why I'm going

to try to help you out. All right. No, you don't understand. I just came from a funeral and now I'm facing this.

Well, I'm not trying to upset you any further, okay? What I'm trying to do is give you a little help here. If you had the means to go ahead and petition for a handicap placard of your own, okay, and you were granted one, that would help your case here.

What if you each had a handicap? If we each had a handicap, cuz then you have offshoot parking available for one, maybe you'd be able to get one in front of the address for the second car cuz now you both have one. You know what I'm saying? That's a possibility for you.

But as of right now, this is not something that this board um we don't set those rules. Okay? And I apologize for you. Unfortunately, we've had to deny lots of people in this situation.

Um what we'll do is I'm going to do what I always do. I just make sure the rules are followed and then I'm going to put it out to the board and I'll see if there's a request. If it does get denied, all right, that is an option I would I would follow through with is try to petition the city for your own handicap placer. Yeah. So, what I'm see

he he can't park in the garage and now he can't have a handicap space. Why can't he park in the garage? Cuz they I have a car in the garage. Yeah. Put your car. There's no room for him to get in.

If he does get in, he can't get out of the car. What if you put your car on the street and then he parks his car in the garage?

I don't want to pop my car on the street. I have a BMW. Oh, I don't want to pop my BMW on the street.

Unfortunately, and that's the reason why we can't just give it up. I get it. Um, but those why those those safeguards are in place. It's not so people can just be like, "Oh, well, I don't want to put my nice car on the street and I want off streetet parking and a secure spot."

That's that's kind of why they set up that that rule. Okay. All right. But I mean, we'll go through the motions right now. Um, everyone heard um this fine young lady's statements. Uh, you reviewed the packet. Is there a motion on the table? Move to deny. Second.

Seconded by Charlie. Any opposed? As of right now, we're not going to be able to grant the handicap spot with the ability to have off streetet parking. All right.

All right. Okay. I'm sorry, dear. All right. Thank you. Have a better day.

Yeah.

Uh, all right. Uh, last thing is resend the handicap spots. I'll read through.

We have Irving Street, East Main Street, Florence Street, and Eastern A. Motion to resend. Is there a second? Second.

Seconded by John. Any oppose? Seeing none. With that, we'll conclude the meeting. Thank you.