Buses once again have designated parking spots in Gettysburg Borough.
At their monthly meeting on Monday, the borough council authorized management to create bus-only parking spots where they deem them to be suitable. The spots are another iteration of a pilot program that was deemed to be a failure in 2023.
Judie Butterfield, Chad-Alan Carr, Patti Lawson, Alisha Sanders, and Matthew Moon supported the proposal. Peter Bales and Chris Berger opposed it.
“I would not vote for this repackaging of a failed pilot program just to end the discussion because we cannot figure out a better solution,” Bales said.
Carr reminded the council that Pennsylvania law permits buses to idle in the street to load and unload passengers.
“They still need to park safely and legally,” Carr said.
Borough Manager Charles Gable said bus-only parking spots will be created in currently underutilized spots. Destination Gettysburg and Gettysburg Battlefield Bus Tours have agreed to communicate the new law to drivers, Gable said.
Moon warned the council that the vote does not end the discussion. He held up a 1982 newspaper that included an article on the topic.
“As long as there has been a council and automobiles, there have been discussions about the place to put them in the public arena,” Moon said. “We are not going to get this right tonight; we are not going to get this right if we keep talking about it every month until we are all dead. There’s always going to be someone who’s not pleased. What we have to find is the solution that works the best for the most people.”
Church decision on hold
The council was expected to vote on whether to place signs near churches that indicate only congregants can park there. For many years, churches were allowed to place bags on meters during services that indicate the spaces are only for people attending their services. The borough stopped the decades-old practice earlier this year, citing that parking enforcement should not be conducted by non-borough employees.
Carr successfully motioned for the topic to be tabled until August. The council will discuss it again at its July 22 workshop.
Father Michael Pray, parochial vicar of Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church, asked the council to return to the previous practice. His remarks echoed ones made last month by Pastor Stephen Herr of Christ Lutheran Church.
“We have never abused this privilege and we have never used them for more than two hours at a time,” Pray said.
Staff promoted, recognized
On a recommendation from the borough’s Civil Service Commission that was supported by Police Chief Robert Glenny, the council unanimously promoted Officer Christopher Evans to the rank of sergeant. Evans has been acting as an officer-in-charge of the squad he now commands since Sgt. Larry Weikert retired earlier this year.
Glenny said Evans began his police career in 2001 and was hired by Gettysburg Police Department in 2013. Mayor Rita Frealing, who oversees the department, supported the commission and Glenny’s recommendations.
“He’s a fine, outstanding officer. He does great work,” Frealing said. “He interacts well with people and is just a straight-up kind of man.”
Assistant Borough Manager Sarah Stull also recognized Public Works Department employee Randy Heflin and Sgt. Harald Pruy for 43 years and 15 years of service, respectively.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.