Gettysburg Borough Council continues to spin its wheels over reserved parking spaces, and the tension is mounting.
“I will just go ahead and put it on every workshop meeting from here until the end of time,” Council President Matthew Moon said at the end of Tuesday’s council workshop.
In March, the council approved a three-month pilot program to allow restaurants with a seating capacity of 50 or greater to reserve several meters for up to 12 hours a day when they expect buses.
Borough Parking Director Becka Fissel told the council that the borough had issued two of those permits. As a result, the council directed the pilot program to expire on June 22.
Last year, the borough council tried a pilot program that set aside some spaces for vehicles that do not fit into a normal-sized spot. Even though that program was discontinued, bus drivers have been parking in those spaces, Borough Manager Charles Gable said. Gable suggested the council reinstitute the original program. However, the council did not act.
Spaces for churches, museums
Shriver House Museum owner Nancie Gudmestad and Christ Lutheran Church Vice President Randy Wallett again pleaded with the borough to reinstate decades-old practices of bagging meters that were outlawed earlier this year.
Wallett said Christ Lutheran bagged meters on Sundays so parishioners with mobility challenges could park near the church. Parish Manager Susan Thresher said in March that Saint Francis Xavier placed similar bags. The churches did not pay for the spaces since parking is free on Sundays until 1 p.m.
Fissel previously proposed placing signs near the churches on Sundays. Police Chief Robert Glenny opposed the signs since they do not follow the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices guidelines.
“It is not enforceable… and you just sow the seeds of confusion,” Glenny said.
Councilmembers Chris Berger and Chad-Alan Carr advocated allowing churches to place their bags on meters. Carr said formed his opinion after speaking to business owners and Christ Lutheran Pastor Steve Herr.
“Not one has complained about what Historic Christ Lutheran has done for decades,” Carr said.
Gudmestad would pay $150 for an annual permit that allowed her to bag meters so buses could park in front of her museum. Moon said the “sweetheart deal” cost the borough thousands of dollars in potential revenue. Gudmestad claimed Moon’s estimate was high and questioned how much staff time had been expended to investigate a new approach.
“In 28 years, I do not think I have ever had a police officer or a parking person waste five minutes of their valuable time to talk to a bus in front of the Shriver House because I followed your rule,” she said.
Similar to bus parking, the council moved on from the bag issue with no changes.
Sidewalks
The council also continued to discuss who is responsible for maintaining sidewalks, especially when they are damaged by trees the borough plants.
Gable suggested the borough work with the Shade Tree Commission to identify which trees need to be pruned, which should be removed, which trees are damaging sidewalks, and where trees are and where they should be planted. Gable suggested the borough could enter into a legal agreement with property owners that states heaved trees are the borough’s responsibility and the borough would care for sidewalks within five feet of a tree.
Gable suggested the borough continue to plant trees and cited several benefits, including lower energy costs and increased property values for nearby residents.
Moon agreed to continue the discussion while warning that legal agreements with property owners could be expensive.
“I think we need to sit down with the shade tree folks and address a plan of attack,” he said.
Zoning, Signs
Borough Planning Director John Whitmore said discussions surrounding the new borough zoning ordinance and proposed sign ordinance revisions continue.
Whitmore, who started his job in December, said he has been researching the history of the Gettysburg Borough Sign Ordinance and past concerns about signs’ effects on historic Gettysburg’s landscape.
“What does the council see as being fit for that level of advertising availability?” he asked.
Council members offered no comment. Whitmore said the council should see a draft ordinance in June or July.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Historic Architecture Review Board Chair Gary Shaffer asked the council not to allow internally lighted signs to be hung on a building’s exterior.
“I think the internally lit part of the ordinance threatens the integrity of our historic town more than anything,” he said.
Shaffer acknowledged that regulating lighted signs ingside a business may present legal challenges.
The borough planning commission will discuss zoning ordinance revisions. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of every month. Burger and Carr asked if the borough plans to livestream planning commission meetings.
Gable said the council budgeted about $7,000 to stream borough council meetings and workshops. Adding committee meetings would increase the cost to $50,000, he said. Mayor Rita Frealing suggested citizens raise money to stream additional meetings, as a group did earlier this month. Carr said citizens can also record the meetings and upload them to YouTube.
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.