Managing editor
Changing the configuration of parking on the east side of South Second Street from diagonal to parallel has upset Bill Rosiere, owner of Marion Laundry and Dry Cleaning.
Four parking stalls have been eliminated.
“During the busy time of the day, a lot of employees, owners, and customers use the parking,” Rosiere said at Monday’s city council meeting. “When it parks up, it’s difficult for people to carry laundry.”
Apartments are available above the business. When they are occupied, more parking stalls are needed.
Parking stalls are marked only to the alley, Rosiere said, people were not encouraged to park where there aren’t markings.
Street Superintendent Marty Fredrickson said the city planned to mark parking stalls the remainder of the block.
Councilman Bill Holdeman asked whether time limitations would help.
“It would be nice for employees to park further south and leave the parking directly in front of the laundry for customers,” Councilman Gene Winkler said.
Diagonal parking was maintained on the west side of the street and changed to parallel parking on the east side to allow clear passage.
“It was a tight fit, particularly for emergency vehicles,” Police Chief Josh Whitwell said. “It was a council decision, but I think the current setup is better.”
No changes were made.
More parking issues
Jim Cloutier, owner of Historic Elgin Bed & Breakfast, also was concerned about parking. He wants the city to improve a city-owned parking lot west of his business.
Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin suggested that the city could deed the property to Cloutier and he could pay for the improvements. The city could reserve the west two-thirds for continued public parking.
“Are there others parking there now who are using it?” Attorney Dan Baldwin asked.
If the city keeps the west two-thirds, it shouldn’t affect them, Kjellin said.
Winkler asked whether Cloutier would be open to improving the parking lot if the city retained ownership.
Cloutier said he might want to build a garage on the lot, which would require his owning it.
A proposal will be drawn for the council to consider at a future meeting.
Fence confines visibility
Tony Schafers, 426 N. Cedar St., wants a neighbor’s fence removed.
Schafers claims the fence blocks drives’ views of traffic on Hudson Street when exiting the alley behind his house.
“I’ve talked with quite a few people about it, and they agree there’s a problem,” Schafers said.
Mayor Mary Olson said the fence was “grandfathered in,” meaning the fence was erected before current zoning regulations were implemented.
Albert Steele, 423 N. Roosevelt St., said he used the alley as a driveway since it is the only entrance to his property.
“I have to pull my vehicle 2½ feet to see oncoming traffic,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for the past 13 to 14 years.”
It was noted that another property owner removed a fence in a similar situation.
The council did not take any action.
Who owns wild cats?
Virgil Buckner, 101 Ashley Dr., wants the city to do something about stray cats.
“I have a cat problem. If stray cats are in the city, do they belong to the city?” he asked. “If you feed the cats, are they yours?”
The council previously discussed cat issues, including the possibility of requiring cats to be tagged and vaccinated.
Buckner asked the city to consider a program that would offer payment assistance to have cats spayed and neutered.
The council took the request under advisement.