LIVERMORE FALLS – Following brief discussion Monday night, selectmen agreed to accept the Downtown Planning report.
Selectman Bill Demaray stressed that he doesn’t want the town locked in by the plan. Bruce Adams of the planning committee explained that the report contains suggested guidelines, not a plan cast in stone.
“It’s a general plan; we’d like to see it followed, but there’s room for adjustments,” Adams said.
He also noted there had been a lot of input at the general meetings held by the planning consultants, and that 23 people were already interested in taking the suggestions further.
“I think we got our money’s worth out of it,” Chairman Ken Jacques said. He also cautioned that changes won’t happen overnight, but said the plan “points us in the right direction.”
Several residents were on hand for the hearing on the citizen petition requesting a parking ban on Highland Avenue and the so-called tree streets. They noted that the population there is getting older and the parking situation has become worse during football games and other big events at the schools.
“As time goes on it’s gotten worse, it would be impossible to get an ambulance in or out of the area,” said Fred Nadeau, a member of the school board.
“The school needs to do its share and has been working diligently on it. Hopefully by fall there will be 40 to 50 more spaces than there are now and, in a couple years, 150 more,” he said.
The problem goes beyond big events, he said. It’s a problem from 2 to 3:30 p.m. when school gets out and the buses can’t get through because of all the parents there to pick up their children. He suggested the area in front of the middle school should be a loading zone for school buses only.
After other comments, the board voted to follow the petitioners’ request, except for Cedar Street, where there will be no parking on the north side of the street, to protect a resident’s banking.
As requested, there will be no parking on the south side of Oak, Maple, Walnut, Chestnut and Birch streets and on the west side of Highland Avenue.
Principal Rod Wright suggested the Cedar Street decision was wrong because the south side, which will now allow parking, is supposed to be a sidewalk.
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