Parking Commission

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKING COMMISSION January 23, 2012 11:00 am ATTENDANCE - COMMISSIONERS: John Metzinger; Donald J Teder; Angela Vinson; Cindy Murray; John Christodoulakis and Ed Chosnek, City Attorney STAFF: Dennis Carson, Director of Development; Max Smith, City Traffic Department; Dan Walker; and Nancy Hendricks GUESTS: Deborah Evans-Ham; Raghav Shan; and Misty Blair, Denison Parking President Donald J Teder opened the meeting of the Lafayette Parking Commission. Approve minutes of the October 17, 2011 meeting Cindy Murray moved to approve the minutes for the October 17, 2011 meeting. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Election of Officers After a brief description of the responsibilities of each office, the Commissioners decided on the following slate of officers for the year 2012: Angela Vinson, President; Donald J Teder, Vice President; Cindy Murray, Secretary. Current president, Donald J Teder called for the vote. The officers were elected unanimously. Request for change in parking at 1116 N 12th Street At President Angela Vinson’s invitation, Deborah Evans-Ham described her parking dilemma. Her health needs require that she be attended by case workers, but when other cars use the space in front of her house, her case workers and rides to appointments are required to park further down the street. Ms. Evans-Ham answered all questions regarding her understanding of the availability of a handicap space to any other vehicle with a handicap permit. Max Smith of the Police Traffic Department asked if she would rather make the space in front of her house a non-parking zone. This change in parking would allow her case workers to use the space for loading and unloading, and prevent permanent parking by any vehicle. After her agreement to this proposal, John Metzinger moved to change the parking space in front of 116 N 12th Street to a no parking zone. Donald J Teder seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at Sheridan and Ferry Street No one was present to make this request. Dan Walker of the Economic Development staff will contact this party and the Commission will table the request to consider it again at the next meeting. Donald J Teder moved to table the request. Cindy Murray seconded. Director’s Report Dennis Carson reported that Duke Energy will be installing charging stations for electric cars in the city garage (on the first and second floors). LED lighting will also be installed. A press release will be coming out soon. Public Comment There was no public comment. A letter sent to the Parking Commission was included in the Commission’s packet for their information. No comment from the Commission was made. Adjournment Cindy Murray moved to adjourn. Donald J Teder seconded. The meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hendricks Recording Secretary Signed, Lafayette Parking Commissioner  MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKING COMMISSION April 16, 2012 11:00 am ATTENDANCE - COMMISSIONERS: John Metzinger; Donald J. Teder; Angela Vinson; Cindy Murray; and Ed Chosnek, City Attorney STAFF: Max Smith, City Traffic Department; Dan Walker; Margy Deverall; and Nancy Hendricks GUESTS: Teresa Donoho, 1503 N. 10th Street; Shirley J. Stultz, 1507 N. 10th Street; Michael Weaver, 1507 Nth 10th Street; Henry Weaver, 1507 Nth 10th Street; Terry Knight, 1312 Ferry Street; Andrea Mullen 208 S 4th Street; Michael Mullen, 208 S 4th Street; Carl D. Vyse, 1214-1216 Brown Street; Gwendolyn Slamovich, 321 Forest Hill Dr, West Lafayette ; and Misty Blair, Denison Parking President Angela Vinson opened the meeting of the Lafayette Parking Commission. Approve minutes of the January 23, 2012 meeting Donald J. Teder moved to approve the minutes for the January 23, 2012 meeting. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 661 N. 7th Street for two handicapped parking spaces No one was present to make the request. John Metzinger moved to table the request until the next meeting. Donald J. Teder seconded. The motion passed Request for change in parking at 1214-1216 Brown Street for one handicapped parking space President Angela Vinson asked if anyone was present to make this request. No one responded. Donald J. Teder moved to table the request. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. When it was made known that the petitioner had not heard the invitation to present his request, Donald J. Teder moved to bring the request back to the table. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Carl Vyse requested that the parking space in front of 1216 Brown Street be restricted to handicap qualified drivers. Jason Terrell, the property manager, had made the request to the Parking Commission by letter on behalf of Mr. Vyse who is a tenant at 1216 Brown Street property. After confirming with Dan Walker that review of the continuing need for the handicap space would occur each year, Donald J. Teder moved to make the parking space in front of 1216 Brown a handicap space. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 1510 N. 10th Street for a no parking zone on the western border of Fulton Place Apartments Henry Weaver of 1507 N. 10th Street explained that parking at the location near and around his house is very limited and that removing the parking would impose greatly on residents and their families and friends who visit and help with transportation. Michael Weaver, also of 1507 N. 10th Street, presented a petition against the proposed no parking zone signed by ten residents in the area. No one was present to argue on behalf of the request for parking change. John Metzinger moved to deny the request for a no parking zone one the western border of Fulton Place Apartments. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 208 S. 4th Street for two 20-minute parking spaces Andrea Mullen, of Mutt Cuts business at 208 S. 4th Street requested two 20-minute parking spaces for her clients to drop off and pick up their pets. Due to the conflict with other activities in the area, a restricted parking area would allow her clients to negotiate the needs required for their pets. After discussion of other possibilities, the Parking Commission agreed to limit parking but to only one space. John Metzinger moved to change the parking in front of Mutt Cuts to one 20-minute parking space. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at Sheridan and Ferry Street for a no parking zone on Sheridan Street Terry Knight, a Ferry Street resident, reported the parking problem caused by numerous cars parking on a very narrow street. She also reported numerous calls to police to remove cars parked in the grass near the Ferry and Sheridan intersection. Max Smith of Lafayette Police confirmed that the narrow street imposed traffic restrictions of vision and unsafe negotiations around parked cars. Cindy Murray moved to remove parking on the east side of Sheridan Street. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Recommendation Request for Changes to the Municipal Code Regarding Bicycle Parking Margy Deverall presented the necessity for making changes to the municipal code regarding bicycle parking. Currently there is no definition of an abandoned bicycle and there are no provisions on what to do if a bicycle has been abandoned. Margy proposed changes that would make it illegal to abandon a bicycle on public property or on a public right-of-way. The definition of an abandoned bicycle would be one that is in a state of disrepair and incapable of being operated or one that has not been moved in more than seven days or has the physical condition of having been abandoned. Abandoned bikes would be tagged and impounded seven days after being tagged. Another consideration regarding bicycles was the manner of parking them. Several bike racks have been added to the downtown, bicycles can be parked on curbs or against buildings as long as pedestrian or vehicular traffic is not impeded. Locking bicycles to signs (excluding signs designating a handicap space because of the possible imposition on the person needing that space) may also be considered in the municipal code change. Misty Blair of Denison Parking expressed concern that tagging bicycles may not be possible for her on-street ticketing officers to document due to the absence of license plates on bikes. Ed Chosnek clarified that the use of Denison Parking for tagging would not be entered into the municipal code. Enforcement procedure on abandoned bikes is still under discussion. John Metzinger moved to recommend to City Council to amend the municipal code. Donald J. Teder seconded. The motion passed. Annual Review of 20-minute, 30-minute, loading, and handicapped spaces (outside downtown) Dan Walker, project manager for the Economic Development Department, presented a written report of the responses he received from residents and businesses with parking spaces which have been changed in the past. The report included those who wished to keep the changes and those who wished the changes to be removed. Cindy Murray moved to approve the recommendations of the report. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Public Comment Gwendolyn Slamovich asked if the Parking Commission would consider the request for a change in the parking at 661 N. 7th Street, since she had come to the meeting after the agenda item had been tabled. John Metzinger moved to bring the request back to the table. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 661 N 7th Street for two handicapped parking spaces Gwendolyn Slamovich presented the situation for the congregation which regularly meets at 661 N. 7 th Street. The congregation is mostly elderly and in declining health. During the discussion, Gwendolyn confirmed that the use of the handicapped spaces would mostly be used for dropping off and picking up and that there was an additional entrance at the back of the building for congregants who could not negotiate the stairway at the front of the building. Winter conditions were also a factor for concern. Cindy Murray moved to repaint the curb as a yellow loading zone in the parking space directly in front of the stairway and to make the next parking space (north) into handicap parking. John Metzinger seconded. The motion passed. Adjournment Cindy Murray moved to adjourn. John Metzinger seconded. The meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hendricks Recording Secretary Signed, Lafayette Parking Commissioner  MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKING COMMISSION July 16, 2012 11:00 am ATTENDANCE - COMMISSIONERS: John Christodoulakis; Donald J. Teder; Cindy Murray; and Ken McCammon STAFF: Dennis Carson, Economic Development Director; Max Smith, City Traffic Department; and Nancy Hendricks GUESTS: Stanley Bush, 102 Asher Street; Kimberly Thompson, 214 S. 5th Street; Carl Vyse; 1214 Brown Street; Michael Phillips, Today Homes; Chery Hart, Today Homes; and Evan Pryor, Denison Parking Vice-President Donald J. Teder opened the meeting of the Lafayette Parking Commission. Approve minutes of the April 16, 2012 meeting Ken McCammon moved to approve the minutes for the April 16, 2012 meeting. John Christodoulakis seconded. The motion passed. Reports and Proposals from Economic Development staff Dennis Carson presented the yearly review of parking spaces, handicap parking, and loading zones. There was 100% response to all inquiries regarding parking changes and accessibility. The only request for change was that the loading zone in front of Artist’s Own on Main Street will revert back to 2-hour parking. All others expressed a continued need for special parking conditions. Ken McCammon moved to accept the report. John Christodoulakis seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 102 Asher Street for handicapped parking space Stan Bush presented his request for 2 handicap spaces in front of the 102 Asher Street residence and indicated that the manager of nearby apartments, Mr. Tetzloff, would back up his request. Dennis Carson said that a letter from Mr. Tetzloff had been received stating support of one handicap space. Mr. Bush continued by saying that not only is there overuse of that block of Asher Street by nearby residents of the apartments, there is also overflow from businesses at the 5-Points intersection. After short discussion and Mr. Bush’s consent that one handicap space would serve their needs, Cindy Murray moved to approve one handicap space at 102 Asher. Cindy also suggested that if the one space turned out to be insufficient, that re-application for an additional space would be considered. Ken McCammon seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 106 S 8th Street for handicapped parking space No one was present to speak on behalf of this request. John Christodoulakis moved to table the request. Ken McCammon seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 515 N 11th Street for handicapped parking space Carl Vyse spoke on behalf of Janice Gibson, the requestor, for a handicap space in front of her home at 515 N 11th Street. Staff received a letter which also included a copy of her handicap status and Mr. Vyse confirmed that her condition required the least amount of steps possible from her car to her residence. Dennis Carson also stated that although there is an alley next to the house, there is no available parking or convenient access for Ms. Gibson. Cindy Murray moved to approve one handicap parking space in front of 515 N 11th Street. John Christodoulakis seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking at 214 S 5th Street for handicapped parking space Kimberly Thompson introduced her request for handicap parking at 214 S 5th Street by listing the number of residents at that address with challenges to their mobility. Daily transportation for medical appointments makes having an accessible parking space imperative. Requests to neighbors for consideration of their need were rudely ignored, so Ms. Thompson presented her hope to the Commission for a non-confrontational solution. Since the alley near the property has no available parking, Ken McCammon moved to approve one handicap parking space in front of 214 S 5 th Street. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Request for change in parking from Today Homes Condo Association Board for the elimination of parking spaces Mike Phillips and Chery Hart of the Today Homes Condo Association Board introduced their request by describing the crowded conditions on Hanover Drive, some of which impede residents from backing out of their drives. In addition, with parking on both sides of the street, the narrow passage would not allow emergency vehicles access to some units. A fourteen-foot no parking space at one location and a twenty-foot no parking space at another would alleviate the most worrisome portions of Hanover Drive. Cindy Murray moved to approve the two locations as no-parking zones. Ken McCammon seconded. The motion passed. Directors Report Dennis Carson introduced and welcomed Evan Pryor, the new manager for Denison Parking. Evan is taking over for Misty Blair. After the Commission greeted Evan, John Christodoulakis moved to accept the director’s report. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Public Comment There was no response to the invitation for public comment. Adjournment Cindy Murray moved to adjourn. Ken McCammon seconded. The meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hendricks Recording Secretary Signed, Lafayette Parking Commissioner  MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE LAFAYETTE PARKING COMMISSION October 15, 2012 11:00 am ATTENDANCE - COMMISSIONERS: Angela Vinson; John Christodoulakis; Donald J. Teder; Cindy Murray; and Ken McCammon STAFF: Ed Chosnek, City Attorney; Max Smith, City Traffic Department; Dan Walker, Project Manager/Planner; Margy Deverall, Project Manager/Planner; and Nancy Hendricks GUESTS: Kimberly Holst, Citizen; Eric Schultz; Andrew Phillips; Zoe Neal; and Evan Pryor, Denison Parking President Angela Vinson opened the meeting of the Lafayette Parking Commission. Approve minutes of the October 16, 2012 meeting Ken McCammon moved to approve the minutes for the April 16, 2012 meeting. Cindy Murray seconded. The motion passed. Request for Loading Zone at 215 N 10th Street No one responded to present the request. Donald J. Teder moved to table the request. John Christodoulakis seconded. The motion passed. Public Comment Andrew Phillips presented complaints against Denison Parking regarding excessive ticketing. Ed Chosnek explained the contract with Denison on ticketing issues and that there is a procedure for ongoing problems. When mistakes continue then staff is removed. After discussion, Mr. Phillips acknowledged that each ticket had different circumstance. Request for Loading Zone at 215 N 10th Street revisited Zoe Neal arrived to present his request for the loading zone. At the end of December, Virtuous Circles will need a loading zone in front of their property at 215 N 10th Street. This is a new location for them and includes a repair shop. Max Smith, Lafayette Traffic, asked if a twenty minute parking space would serve just as well. On a thirty minute loading zone, only vehicles that are dropping off or picking up deliveries may utilize the space. For a limited time parking zone, any vehicle, customer or delivery, may park. Mr. Neal agreed to the suggestion. Ken McCammon moved to grant a change to the parking space in front of 215 N. 10 th Street to a twenty minute limited parking zone. John Christodoulakis seconded. The motion passed. Adjournment Ken McCammon moved to adjourn. Donald J. Teder seconded. The meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Nancy Hendricks Recording Secretary Signed, Lafayette Parking Commissioner