At last, a major institution in America is standing up to the bullying and extortion that seems to characterize every action of the Trump administration.
In his letter Pedro Pachano writes: “Denying the opportunity to build housing and/or commercial space in the center of town in favor of private parking will be in direct contravention of the zoning bylaws and Master Plan which are sensitive to affordability and livability.”
When it was suggested that the Planning Board should advise the Select Board, the Assistant Town Manager was adamant that doing so would be a violation of the law.
In a letter to the editor, Steve Farina writes, "Town planning and implementation has now significantly reduced both the number of publicly available parking spots and the duration for which a vehicle is allowed to remain parked in many of the remaining spots."
In a letter Craig Okerstrom-Lang writes: "Our town has not contributed a dime nor offered to contribute to the maintenance of these parking lots (snow plowing, sweeping, striping, repairs)."
Selectman Ed Abrahams added that he is concerned that the same thing that happened at the gated parking lot at the end of Railroad Street will happen to the proposed gated parcel at the School Street property.
By suspending daytime parking time limits on weekend days, “the selectboard is encouraging town residents and visitors to dine, shop, and visit our cultural attractions for a more leisurely time period,” said town manager Mark Pruhenski.
The upper Railroad Street lot appears to have about 30 spots, the loss of which, even for a few days, will have some denizens of downtown scrambling to find places to park their vehicles.
"We all love living here and want to be able to work downtown, go downstairs and get coffee and go across the street and get food. I like to go next door to buy my clothing."
-- Asa Hardcastle, whose Tonic 5 software development company is on the floor above Tom’s Toys on Main Street
"If you don't think we have a problem, watch drivers circle our streets on Saturdays like desperate sharks.”
--- Writer and downtown resident Mickey Friedman
“The trend nationally is that both baby boomers and millennials are migrating back to downtown centers for greater mobility options, access to shopping, restaurants, cultural venues, recreational facilities and healthcare options.”
--- Ian Rasch
We are the stewards of our community, and every decision we make matters. Letting our high school slide into disrepair…letting the character of our Main Street be lost.
