Nelson — After 90 minutes of discussion last week, first during a public hearing and then between town officials, the Nelson Town Board decided not to renew the expired parking ban along a part of North Lake Road in Erieville by the Blue Canoe restaurant — at least temporarily. Board members agreed they wanted to visit the road and get more information about the parking conditions there before they take more action on the matter, which means that, although “no parking” signs are up along the north side of North Lake Road, people will not be ticketed for parking there.
“We’re going to let the law rest,” said Supervisor Roger Bradstreet during the board’s Feb. 11 regular monthly meeting. “[Which means] we don’t have a law and we encourage people not to park on the north side [of the road] … where it’s dangerous.”
The public hearing and board discussion on the North Lake Road parking situation was part of ongoing issue with parking in front of the Blue Canoe that began in 2013 due to concerns from the fire department that the area near the restaurant was congested at times by street parking and needed to be passable by emergency equipment. There was also an issue of safety concerning the ditches on both sides of the road into which cars or people could fall.
The town passed a local law in 2013 that prohibited parking along the northerly side of the portion of North Lake Road beginning at the Hall Road intersection and continuing east to a point 200 feet beyond the J. Dermody property line as it existed as of the date of the adoption of the law. When the law was renewed in 2014 a penalty clause was added for parking violators.
The law included a sunset clause for it to expire on Dec. 31, 2015, and the town board has currently not renewed it.
continued — Blue Canoe owner Trish Bookbinder has said the parking ban hurts her business and the town is not supporting or working with her on the issue. At the Feb. 11 meeting, Bookbinder brought attorney Art Bigsby to represent her, and he addressed the board asking that parking be restored to both sides of the road, especially now that the town covered over the north side drainage ditch after installing a drainage pipe.
“Where once there was two-sided parking on a thin road, now there is one-sided parking on a wider area,” Bigsby said. “Let’s work to have the most parking possible that is safe.”
Erieville fire officials also spoke and said they are not seeking to hurt Blue Canoe business in any way, they are simply concerned with the road being passable and their ability to travel it and attend emergencies when necessary.
In the end, the board agreed to meet as a group on North Lake Road, preferably when there is snow and snow banks on the sides of the roads, and examine the parking situation. They plan to park large pickup trucks on either side of the road and then have both town plow trucks and Erieville fire trucks on scene and see if the road is passable or not with cars parked on both sides.
Bradstreet said the board would make their trip before the March board meeting, and will revisit the issue in March.
