WALBRIDGE – The village may act to straighten out an angled parking issue.
At the May 15 council meeting, member Caryl Stone suggested an ordinance to enforce no angled parking on village streets.
The issue is vehicles that pull in, blocking sidewalks, or have the rear of the vehicle encroaching into the street. The area of concern is Guy Steet near Dixon Street.
“The chief (of police) said if we can get an ordinance that is workable then he could enforce it,” Stone said. “I’m making it my mission to try to get an ordinance in place that will hopefully resolve the angled parking issue.”
There are streets where people are angled parking, which is not allowed, but without an ordinance with rules and guidelines, the village can’t enforce it, she said.
There are residents concerned that it is blocking intersections and views, making it a safety issue.
“I think they should be parallel parking but … if we do it right, they could possibly angle park but not close to the stop sign.”
“I’m not so certain changing it is needed because there are other areas in the village where it’s perfectly acceptable,” said Mayor Ed Kolanko.
Angled parking is OK as long as they’re not extending into the sidewalk or the street, he said.
“There’s always unintended consequences when you start changing things,” he said.
Also at the meeting, council:
• Decided to donate 200 pool passes for the library’s summer reading program. A donation to Lake Schools’ summer food service program is on hold until it can be confirmed that meals will be delivered in Walbridge.
• Heard Stone recommend security cameras be installed in the parks where vandalism happens once school lets out.
• Heard Stone report a Block Watch is being developed.
• Learned J. Williams Concrete will be paid $25,000 to install a sidewalk along South Main Street from Harlan Drive to Clayton Street.
• Rescheduled its June 19 meeting to June 26 due to the Juneteenth holiday.
• Learned residents will see various companies billing for natural gas usage this summer. Constellation’s contract expires at the end of this month, at which time Columbia Gas will start billing residents. Archer Energy will take over in September.
• Learned First Energy will replace 13 lights on East Broadway with LED bulbs. The change to LED bulbs throughout the village has saved about $800 a month.
• Heard from village Administrator Todd Robson that a fire hydrant is being used to fill the pool is and that the village will only pay for water used and not sewer runoff. He said that should be a $1,500 savings.
The pool is expected to open Memorial Day weekend.
• Heard Kolanko report that OHM Engineering is conducting street borings in preparation of repaving areas of Raymond, Dixon, Breckman, Allen, and Percy streets. The village has a budget of around $300,000 for the work.
• Hired Amanda Stump as a part-time manager for Loop and Railway parks.
