White hearts cover the “NO” in a “NO PARKING” sign near 256 Main Street, an act of defacement that was later repaired by the town in Kingfield. Submitted Photo

KINGFIELD — The Kingfield Select Board addressed ongoing concerns Dec. 2 about parking within the town limits during their recent meeting. Chair Wade Browne emphasized that recent changes to parking regulations were implemented solely to ensure public safety.

“We didn’t do it to discourage businesses downtown,” Browne said. “We did do it to look out for the town, so no one gets run over. That is the only reason.”

Town Manager Leanna Ross Targett echoed Browne’s sentiment, stating, “We do not want to discourage anyone doing business.” Targett added that there are three parking spaces,  two on Depot Street and one on Main Street.

Polly MacMichael, owner of the restaurant Rolling Fatties, shared her perspective, acknowledging the benefit of marked parking lines on Depot Street but raising concerns about the impact of “NO PARKING” signs on accessibility.

“It is super helpful and awesome to have the lines for parking on Depot Street,” MacMichael said. “However, we have always had an issue with parking in the town. The words written on the road saying ‘NO PARKING’ are not welcoming for people to access those buildings, like Annie’s. Before, there weren’t any spaces drawn on the road; there was just nothing there.”

Targett also noted an incident where someone painted white hearts over the words “NO” in “NO PARKING.” “We have since had it fixed,” she said. “We called the sheriff’s department for defacing public property but were told that the district attorney would not prosecute.”

“From our observation, people would not come and park and get out and walk around town for a couple of hours,” MacMichael explained. “It would always be a quick stop, like dropping kids off at dance or quickly running in to grab a breakfast sandwich.”

Browne clarified the reasoning behind the signs, stating, “The ‘NO PARKING’ is to discourage people from parking where they aren’t supposed to park.”

MacMichael suggested adding clearer signage to direct visitors to available parking areas. “I asked for the lines on the road but also a sign that says ‘Parking on Depot Street,’” she said.

Traffic passes by as a “NO PARKING” sign near Main Street is visibly defaced with a white heart painted over the “NO,” drawing attention to the altered message in Kingfield. Submitted Photo

MacMichael proposed installing a sign on her building to guide visitors. “We would happily put a sign on our building that says ‘Public Parking on Depot Street this way,’” she said.

Browne supported the idea, responding, “There is nothing stopping you from doing that. You can do whatever you want to do on the side of your building.”

The discussion also touched on broader safety issues. MacMichael highlighted recommendations from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine to enhance pedestrian safety, including painting crosswalks and installing bike-friendly signage. “Traffic calming is a huge issue downtown,” she said.

Browne expressed his willingness to explore safety improvements. “I don’t disagree,” he said, with Selectman Christopher Rushton concurring.

Residents voiced concerns about temporary measures like cones in the road. MacMichael stressed the need for collaboration between the town and businesses to avoid unintended impacts on operations. “What’s done is done,” she said. “But in the future, maybe the town could work with businesses downtown. It is affecting my business, so that is why I am upset. In the future, when actions are being taken downtown that will affect businesses, it would be great to have foresight.”

Browne acknowledged the longstanding challenges with parking. “It has always been this way, before Rolling Fatties was there,” he said. He noted the limited space available and the difficulties in accommodating all interests.

MacMichael suggested returning to diagonal parking lines instead of “NO PARKING” signs during future repainting projects. Browne agreed to revisit the idea. “All right, we beat that one enough,” he concluded. “Next year we’ll try to see about the painting of diagonals, and everybody can talk about it.”