The issue of parking at Sound View was raised yet again at the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen’s meeting on Monday.
Heidi Dinino, saying she was speaking on behalf of a number of the Sound View businesses, presented the board of selectmen with numerous complaints regarding the new angled parking on Hartford Ave.
Citing a recent parking study conducted on the street, she claimed the new parking system is a, “threat to public safety,” noting children are forced to stand in the street to access their car trunks, and so far, two people have backed into the curb, nearly damaging street property.
Furthermore, she submitted, the new parking is inconvenient for the residents living on Hartford Ave. Delivery trucks, street cleaners, snow plows, and garbage trucks are all unable to access one side of the street due to the angled parking. Sound View residents state that this is discouraging tourists from visiting the beach area because the street looks, in Dinino’s words, “unsightly”.
She also argued that the parking is negatively impacting small businesses on the street since foot traffic is significantly less on one side of the street, and parking spaces for customers are limited. According to Dinino, one potential business owner backed out of an agreement after finding out about the parking situation on Hartford Ave.
Frank Pappalardo, chairman of the Sound View Commission, wrote in an email to LymeLine, “The concern for public safety is paramount and it is our intention to provide a safe and accessible environment for residents and guests,” continuing, “While there may not be any one perfect solution, this parking configuration had been presented and discussed at a number of public forums and meetings over the past two years prior to implementation.” he also notes, “The Sound View Commission welcomes public involvement and comments.”
At the end of the meeting, Dinino requested for more communication with small business owners when major changes are being implemented in the area. First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder responded that the engineering firm is familiar with the Department of Transportation standards and open to concerns and considerations of both residents and business owners in the Sound View area.
This is not the first time there has been a parking dispute in the Sound View area. Just last year, the townspeople were divided over the issue of free parking with business owners pushing for free parking, while residents supported the $25 parking fee.
Click here to view the Sound View parking regulations published on the Old Lyme website.
I think it is great what the Town of Old Lyme has done with the parking. A lot of town resources are used during the summer months to control what goes on in Soundview, maybe the Town can offset those expenses by charging for parking. Bold move for the First Selectwoman and I, as many as the other full time town residents, applaud her efforts.