Parking Debate Continues at Baldwin Council Meeting

Some residents concerned over potential parking restrictions took their comments to the Council at an agenda meeting on Tuesday night.

Concerns ranged from how to deal with homes that don't have driveways to how to deal with homes that do have them but have too many vehicles to fit.

"We don't have a driveway," said a man who lives on the part of Cloverfield Drive being recommended for a no-parking restriction from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. "I don't know where we're gonna park if this goes through."

The resident encouraged the Baldwin Council to allow the to issue him a permit for on-street parking should that recommended Cloverfield restriction come into place.

Council President David Depretis advised the resident and all those in attendance on Tuesday that the council has not made any decisions yet regarding on-street parking in Baldwin in accordance with a list of recommended restrictions put together by emergency management officials.

The list () allows for  and for , borough officials have argued.

"We haven't really made up our minds what we're going to do yet," Depretis said.

But council meetings, such as a , remain as public occasions for residents to voice their concerns, much like they did when the council decided to eliminate (and keep) several streetlights in the borough.

"I don't want to see us getting fined," the Cloverfield man said regarding parking. "(But) obviously, putting in a driveway is going to be a pretty expensive endeavor."

Another Cloverfield resident, who lives between Edward and Sanda drives, which is being recommended for one-side-only parking at all times, suggested that even that limitation could prove to be too restricting.

"A lot of people have two or three cars," she said. "We are going to be so jam-packed with cars on one side it's going to be unreal.

"And when you have visitors coming, where are they going to park?"

Councilman Ed Moeller acknowledged the Cloverfield residents' concerns, saying, "Well, that street just has to be looked at again. That's why we bring these meetings up. It's a legitimate issue to bring up."

The Cloverfield woman suggested limiting parking during the winter months only—"Nov. 1 through March 31"—as a possible compromise.

Later in the meeting, Kenneth Guerra, the borough's emergency management coordinator, walked council members through a slideshow of borough streets being recommended for parking restrictions and gave arguments as to why the recommendations were made.

Guerra said that the list of potential parking restrictions is not complete and could grow larger.

"This is the first step of a long way to go," Guerra said.

Nevertheless, Mayor Alexander R. Bennett Jr. said that borough officials will have to consider granting permits for residents with special conditions.

"Look at all the different scenarios we have in this community," Bennett said. "We have older areas, newer areas ... a lot has changed. And people have more cars."

Check back with the Baldwin-Whitehall Patch later on Wednesday for more notes from Tuesday night's council meeting, including a debate over lock boxes for fire companies.

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