White River Junction
During surveying work for a lot expansion project that originally called for cutting 60 feet into a town-owned embankment, Hartford’s public works and planning personnel learned a state stormwater permit the town hoped was unnecessary would, in fact, be required, according to Public Works Director Hannah Tyler.
Tyler notified the Hartford Selectboard at last week’s meeting that a modified project, with just 18 lined parking spots and which doesn’t require cutting into the embankment, had been approved by the state. The scaled-back parking expansion — which also eliminates two light fixtures that were part of the original project — should cost less than $10,000, Tyler said, rather than the $18,000 projected for the original work.
The 45 parking spots were sought as a temporary stopgap for burgeoning parking demands in White River Junction, where residential and commercial growth have resulted in an 11 percent increase in parking occupancy during each of the last two years, according to a town study. Parking occupancy in the downtown’s 368 spots has increased 54 percent since 2014.
“It’s a little disappointing that we couldn’t move forward with the bigger version of the expansion,” Tyler said during a Selectboard meeting on Oct. 23. “We would have had to address stormwater concerns. It would have brought us back into (the scope of) a huge project.”
Tyler said she hopes efforts to improve the lot’s storm water drainage can be deferred until plans for more long-term upgrades are in place for the South Main Street municipal lot, which is behind the former American Legion building, near the VFW and the rear side of Northern Stage, off Gates Street.
Town officials recently have discussed various improvements for the area, whose 142 parking spots represent 38.5 percent of the public spaces downtown. Discussions to address lighting, utility concerns and traffic flow in the lot have been ongoing. Eventually, the town may pursue the construction of a parking garage or similar decking structure there.
“When we do any of those upgrades, we’re going to have to address stormwater,” Tyler said in a Tuesday phone interview. “We don’t want to be shortsighted. We want to make sure it’s well thought out so that we don’t install something that we have to rip back out if a garage goes in down the road.”
Another goal of Hartford’s public works and planning staff is to increase public awareness of White River Junction’s available spaces. Even during the busiest times downtown — lunchtime, especially on Fridays — motorists occupied no more than 70.6 percent of available spaces.
“That’s 78 open spots at peak time,” Hartford Town Manager Leo Pullar said at the Selectboard meeting. “It’s not necessarily about creating spots; it’s creating visibility, creating movement in and out of those spots and more clearly marking those spots. I see examples of it all the time on (the town Facebook page), where people think, ‘If I can’t park in front of (my destination), then there’s no parking spot downtown.’ ”
Hartford Selectboard member Dick Grassi responded that an overall lack of spaces might not be the most pertinent issue.
“The problem is that perception is reality and we’ve got to change that perception,” Grassi said.
The town recently produced a map that shows parking options and bus stops, according to the parking study, and the South Main lot recently was re-striped.
Tyler said she hopes better signage also will be installed to help make available parking areas more visible.
“We could have better signs that meet more current standards and follow universal regulations,” Tyler said. “We have some artistic signage downtown. Some of them have trains on them, which are nice, but not always crystal clear about what the message is.”
Public works and planning staff, as well as Hartford Police Chief Phil Kasten, hope to address the downtown’s lack of handicapped spaces that are compliant with the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. Parking spaces should be a minimum of 8 feet wide and include access areas for disembarking, according to standards last updated in 2010.
Roughly two of the downtown’s dozen or so handicapped parking spots meet current standards, town personnel surmised, which is a problem when it comes to enforcement.
“ADA has clear-cut standards that we have to follow,” Kasten said. “We’ve been in spots where we could not enforce a handicapped parking violation because we are in violation of how we’ve situated that parking. We’ve put the public in a bad position.”
Kasten also is in favor of metered parking as a way to help encourage space turnover. While two-hour limits currently are assigned to motorists during peak hours, it’s a difficult regulation to enforce.
“We’ve reached out to municipal neighbors (that have metered parking systems) and they say it’s so important, because it allows the public to police themselves,” Kasten said at the Selectboard meeting. In a Tuesday phone interview, Kasten added, “It’s a much easier process for enforcement and gives our business owners a clear message that we take parking issues seriously.”
Town personnel also plan to explore methods to help reduce demand for parking, such as enhancing bike and pedestrian infrastructure and promoting carpooling and public transportation. That will be part of the efforts by a group of University of Vermont engineering students who will be working with Hartford’s Public Works Department to study parking and traffic downtown for their senior capstone projects, Tyler said.
Selectboard member Kim Souza, who runs a vintage clothing store on North Main Street, said she is thankful dialogue surrounding parking issues downtown remains topical. After all, she expects the neighborhood to continue to expand.
“I’m thrilled with the progress and pace and vision toward taking on these issues,” Souza said at last week’s Selectboard meeting. “We might not be at capacity yet, but we hope for more development. We still have room to grow.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.