By Journal Staff
The Revere Traffic Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, November 21, in the City Councillor Joseph A. Del Grosso Council Chambers. On hand for the session were Chair and DPW Director Christopher Ciaramella and fellow members City Planner Frank Stringi, City Engineer Nick Rystrom, Fire Chief Chris Bright, and Police Chief Dave Callahan.
The commission held three public hearings to act upon proposed amendments to the city’s traffic and parking regulations.
The first was a request “to amend Schedule VIII of Title 10 – Parking Restrictions Generally by adding: ‘No Parking on both sides of the Road 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Mill Street Northerly/Southerly Entire Length’.”
Mill St. runs between the Revere Beach Parkway (just east of Cronin Rink) and Beach St.
Ward 1 City Councillor Joanne McKenna spoke in favor of the proposal.
“I spoke to the residents and they said it is very difficult to get down the street with parking on both sides,” said McKenna. McKenna noted that the city ordinance already states that there is no parking for most of the street on both sides from Beach St. to Hall St. and parking only on one side from Hall St. to the Revere Beach Parkway. However, the ordinance has not been enforced because during construction work on the street over the years, the No Parking signage was removed, but never was put back up.
“I just think we should do the whole street. Everybody has driveways and they can park in their driveways,” concluded McKenna.
Zack Babo, Director of Parking, acknowledged the presently-existing parking restrictions in the ordinance as outlined by McKenna. However, he noted that by banning parking entirely on Mill St., it will pass the parking problem onto another street.
The commissioners, after discussion and clarification about the existing ordinance, voted to “clean up” the ordinance by voting for No Parking on both sides of Mill St. from Beach St. to Hall St. and No Parking on the east side of the street from Hall St. to the Revere Beach Parkway.
The next public hearing proposed that there be an, “Amendment to Schedule VIII of Title 10 – Parking Restriction Generally by adding: ‘No Parking on Right Hand Side of the Road on Green Street Southerly from the Revere Beach Parkway for its entire length’.”
Green St. is a small side street off the Revere Beach Parkway (Winthrop Ave.), just east of the Lee Burbank Highway overpass.
McKenna also spoke on this matter. “Green St. currently is a dead-end street,” said McKenna, “but we don’t know what’s going to happen with Lee’s Trailer Park. There also is a 30-unit building going in on Green St., so I’m just trying to protect the people who live there now. Parking is going to be an issue when this building goes up.”
Parking on the street presently is limited to residents with stickers during the day, but is permitted generally overnight. “Green St. is too small to have parking on both sides,” said Ciaramella. The commission unanimously approved the proposal.
Next up was a series of amendments pertaining to the two parking lots at Griswold Park, which were as follows:
“Amend Schedule VIII of Title 10 – Parking Restrictions Generally by adding:
a. Griswold Park – Three Hour Parking during the Hours of 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Monday– Sunday Except Holidays
b. Griswold Park – No Overnight Parking during the hours of 11 p.m.–8 a.m. Monday – Sunday Except Holidays.”
Babo spoke in favor of this request, noting that his department recently removed three unregistered vehicles from the parking lots. “We don’t know who is doing this, but somebody in the area is using the parking lots to stash vehicles.” Babo also noted that the residents and guests of the nearby 42-unit apartment building park in the lots, which makes it unavailable for those partaking in activities at the park, which has two softball fields (which are used by the Revere High softball team, among others) and a Little League baseball diamond.
The commissioners unanimously approved the changes and then approved a further regulation for the two lots that will permit the city to tow any vehicles parked at night (between 11 p.m and 8:00 a.m.) from Monday through Sunday except holidays.
The commission then considered a series of new requests.
The first pertained to a proposal, put forward by Councillor McKenna, to allow parking only on the easterly side of Wilson St. for its entire length.
“I received a disturbing call from a resident who said that a school bus was unable to proceed down the street to pick up her child because of the parked cars on both sides of the street,” said McKenna, who noted that the resident must walk her child to the corner in order to be picked up by the bus. McKenna also noted that fire apparatus would have difficulty proceeding down the roadway.
The commission voted unanimously to move the matter to a public hearing for its next meeting.
The next request was for an amendment to, “Schedule IX – Resident Parking Streets – Twenty Four Hour Enforcement: 24 hour enforcement for: Dashwood Street on the Even Side for its Entire Length.”
There were no proponents for the request. After Babo noted that parking is permitted on Dashwood St. (unlike the other streets in the area) during the daytime in order to accommodate users of the nearby Oak Island Park, the commissioners unanimously denied the request.
The final request, for a handicapped person parking spot at 203 Constitution Ave., was moved to a public hearing for next month. A similar request earlier in the evening for a handicapped parking spot at, “5 Florence Avenue, Apartment 1 (this placard is for the resident of 15 Centennial Avenue)” was tabled by the commissioners until next month’s meeting because the proponent did not appear.