Fire Chief Nick Samac and Fire Marshal Jimmy Kelley were present at Tuesday’s council meeting for a discussion of restricting parking on Washington St. near its intersection with Point St. to enable fire trucks to more easily make the turn onto Point.
Samac said all intersections in town are different, and his department might have difficulties maneuvering in many locations. However, they intend to do best they can for public safety, and are prepared to drag hoses down streets if necessary. He stated the intersection in question can be accessed either with one of two smaller vehicles or by carrying hoses to the site of a fire. He admitted one of his trucks could not easily make the turn from the northerly direction.
Alderman Mickey Schneider claimed ESFD knows the town well enough that when a call comes in they know best how to get there, but Samac replied they do not always have all their equipment available for every call.
Samac did, however, state he agreed with Kelley’s assessment that if the situation were made more accessible, if firemen did not have to carrying hoses to a conflagration, they could put out a fire faster. He said he and his staff agree it would be better for vehicles to be able to make the turn.
In preparation for the discussion, City Attorney Tim Weaver had prepared two ordinances for red-striping a portion of Washington Street, one of which would remove one parking spot and the other, remove three.
During Public Comments, property owner Bill King offered an alternative in which the city could use the trolley stop nearby for a parking spot. He was speaking for tenants in his fourplex who might lose access to parking if the city adopted either ordinance. He disagreed with Kelley’s plan to ensure access to Point St. from both directions because he maintained fire trucks would be coming only from the southerly direction.
Co-owner John Rankine pointed out the loss of parking in that area would also adversely affect parking on nearby streets.
After a thorough discussion, aldermen agreed 5-1, alderman Terry McClung voting No, to defer any decision until Samac and Kelley could work with King and Rankine on another solution.