Reed Street Won't Get One-Way Designation
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Reed Street in Warsaw is a narrow two-way street with no parking, and it's going to remain that way, despite requests by Reed, Main and Fort Wayne street residents for a one-way designation with parking on the west side.
Citizens again attended the Warsaw City Council meeting Monday to re-address items on a petition, signed by 71 people in the community, originally submitted to the traffic safety commission Oct. 4, 2001.
Betty Gilbert, Ron Gilbert, Harold French, Jim Cox, Chuck Hodges and Dewey Lawshe spoke in favor of a one-way southbound Reed Street.
This would compel the semi-tanker that delivers gas to the Freedom Oil mini-mart and gas station, formerly Center Quick Serve, on the corner of Center and Reed streets, to return to Center Street after delivery. Currently, the 40-foot tanker turns at Main Street and travels four blocks through a residential neighborhood before reaching the truck route on Ind. 15.
A common neighborhood complaint is that the streets are too narrow for the semi to make the left turn onto Main Street.
The gas station has undergone extensive renovation. An empty house has been demolished north of the property, a storage shed has been added and a hard surface laid where the house stood, according Board of Zoning Appeals stipulations. A 4-foot-wide buffer zone is to be planted along the alley to the north. A water main is buried along the alley.
Dewey Lawshe, without knowing of the ordered buffer zone and water main location, said there is plenty of room for a semi to access the alley to the east, turn behind the building and then turn south parallel to Reed Street. Lawshe said the fuel hose could be brought under the tanker for dispensing gas. The truck could then exit back onto Center Street.
B&B Hauling truck driver Bob Holbrook said there is plenty of room to make the turn off Reed Street onto Main.
Station owner Gregory Cobb said putting the hose under the truck to fill the underground tanks is unlawful.
The traffic commission discovered Reed Street was to have a no parking designation, although residents parked along it for more than 30 years. During curb, sidewalk and street reconstruction this summer, the no parking edict went into effect. As a result, Mary Hurt, 109 N. Reed St., was left without a parking space.
French, 811 E. Main St., said Hurt parks up against her house in the alley most days. He drives through the alley to reach his garage and it is a tight squeeze to get past her parked car.
Betty Gilbert, who has appeared at the traffic commission and before the council on numerous occasions, asked the council to consider the petition presented more than a year ago to make the street one-way.
After more than half an hour of discussion councilwoman Trish Brown, a traffic commission member, said the subject had gone on long enough.
"The council should support the traffic commission's decision," she said. She maintained there were just as many people against making the street one-way as there were for the rerouting, and that she had gone door-to-door and talked to people about it.
Mayor Ernie Wiggins called for a recess, to the audience's surprise.
"How about a vote?" Ron Gilbert asked as council members filed out for the break.
"You want a vote? We'll vote," Wiggins said, calling the members back to their seats.
Jeff Grose voted against keeping Reed Street as is, with Joe Thallemer, Brown, Charlie Smith, George Clemens, Jerry Patterson and Bill Rhoades casting aye votes.
In other business, the board:
• Took under advisement a proposal from assistant city planner Teresa Ho to increase parking violations from $5 to $10 with a 14-day payment schedule, a change from 30 days.
She said there are a number of repeat violators, mostly people who work downtown, who could use the free lots or lease available parking lots.
Thallemer said he didn't want to impose the increased fine without offering more parking options in the downtown district.
Wiggins said 11 more spaces were made through diagonal parking on the north side of Owens Supermarket and more are planned on the north side of the courthouse.
Rhoades didn't want to shorten the payment schedule by 16 days.
A permanent change would have to be changed by ordinance.
• Heard a public meeting will be held in the Center Lake Pavilion Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. for citizens to give input regarding a voluntary curbside recycling program in the city.
• Approved Resolution 2002-11-01 requesting a $300,000 housing rehabilitation grant. The council will supply $30,000 in matching funds or in-kind services.
According to Laura Kaufman of the Housing Authority of Warsaw, which administers the grant, this will be the fourth time funds have been sought through the Indiana Housing Finance Authority's Community Development Block Grant program.
• Reviewed a petition for voluntary annexation signed by six of nine Greenhill Drive residents.
City planner Jeff Noffsinger said after advertisement, a public hearing regarding the annexation will be held Jan. 20 with adoption March 3.
The council approved Eugene and Phoebe Arrington's request to hook up to the sewer system.
• Approved, on second reading, a 3 percent increase to elected officials' salaries in 2003.
• Approved a fire department request to transfer $5,000 from operating supplies to repair and maintenance supplies and $10,600 from salaries to equipment. The latter transfer will be applied as a 10 percent match for a FEMA grant toward the purchase of a flash-over chamber and burn building. [[In-content Ad]]
Reed Street in Warsaw is a narrow two-way street with no parking, and it's going to remain that way, despite requests by Reed, Main and Fort Wayne street residents for a one-way designation with parking on the west side.
Citizens again attended the Warsaw City Council meeting Monday to re-address items on a petition, signed by 71 people in the community, originally submitted to the traffic safety commission Oct. 4, 2001.
Betty Gilbert, Ron Gilbert, Harold French, Jim Cox, Chuck Hodges and Dewey Lawshe spoke in favor of a one-way southbound Reed Street.
This would compel the semi-tanker that delivers gas to the Freedom Oil mini-mart and gas station, formerly Center Quick Serve, on the corner of Center and Reed streets, to return to Center Street after delivery. Currently, the 40-foot tanker turns at Main Street and travels four blocks through a residential neighborhood before reaching the truck route on Ind. 15.
A common neighborhood complaint is that the streets are too narrow for the semi to make the left turn onto Main Street.
The gas station has undergone extensive renovation. An empty house has been demolished north of the property, a storage shed has been added and a hard surface laid where the house stood, according Board of Zoning Appeals stipulations. A 4-foot-wide buffer zone is to be planted along the alley to the north. A water main is buried along the alley.
Dewey Lawshe, without knowing of the ordered buffer zone and water main location, said there is plenty of room for a semi to access the alley to the east, turn behind the building and then turn south parallel to Reed Street. Lawshe said the fuel hose could be brought under the tanker for dispensing gas. The truck could then exit back onto Center Street.
B&B Hauling truck driver Bob Holbrook said there is plenty of room to make the turn off Reed Street onto Main.
Station owner Gregory Cobb said putting the hose under the truck to fill the underground tanks is unlawful.
The traffic commission discovered Reed Street was to have a no parking designation, although residents parked along it for more than 30 years. During curb, sidewalk and street reconstruction this summer, the no parking edict went into effect. As a result, Mary Hurt, 109 N. Reed St., was left without a parking space.
French, 811 E. Main St., said Hurt parks up against her house in the alley most days. He drives through the alley to reach his garage and it is a tight squeeze to get past her parked car.
Betty Gilbert, who has appeared at the traffic commission and before the council on numerous occasions, asked the council to consider the petition presented more than a year ago to make the street one-way.
After more than half an hour of discussion councilwoman Trish Brown, a traffic commission member, said the subject had gone on long enough.
"The council should support the traffic commission's decision," she said. She maintained there were just as many people against making the street one-way as there were for the rerouting, and that she had gone door-to-door and talked to people about it.
Mayor Ernie Wiggins called for a recess, to the audience's surprise.
"How about a vote?" Ron Gilbert asked as council members filed out for the break.
"You want a vote? We'll vote," Wiggins said, calling the members back to their seats.
Jeff Grose voted against keeping Reed Street as is, with Joe Thallemer, Brown, Charlie Smith, George Clemens, Jerry Patterson and Bill Rhoades casting aye votes.
In other business, the board:
• Took under advisement a proposal from assistant city planner Teresa Ho to increase parking violations from $5 to $10 with a 14-day payment schedule, a change from 30 days.
She said there are a number of repeat violators, mostly people who work downtown, who could use the free lots or lease available parking lots.
Thallemer said he didn't want to impose the increased fine without offering more parking options in the downtown district.
Wiggins said 11 more spaces were made through diagonal parking on the north side of Owens Supermarket and more are planned on the north side of the courthouse.
Rhoades didn't want to shorten the payment schedule by 16 days.
A permanent change would have to be changed by ordinance.
• Heard a public meeting will be held in the Center Lake Pavilion Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. for citizens to give input regarding a voluntary curbside recycling program in the city.
• Approved Resolution 2002-11-01 requesting a $300,000 housing rehabilitation grant. The council will supply $30,000 in matching funds or in-kind services.
According to Laura Kaufman of the Housing Authority of Warsaw, which administers the grant, this will be the fourth time funds have been sought through the Indiana Housing Finance Authority's Community Development Block Grant program.
• Reviewed a petition for voluntary annexation signed by six of nine Greenhill Drive residents.
City planner Jeff Noffsinger said after advertisement, a public hearing regarding the annexation will be held Jan. 20 with adoption March 3.
The council approved Eugene and Phoebe Arrington's request to hook up to the sewer system.
• Approved, on second reading, a 3 percent increase to elected officials' salaries in 2003.
• Approved a fire department request to transfer $5,000 from operating supplies to repair and maintenance supplies and $10,600 from salaries to equipment. The latter transfer will be applied as a 10 percent match for a FEMA grant toward the purchase of a flash-over chamber and burn building. [[In-content Ad]]