Marblehead board to garden center: Resolve parking issue

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead Garden Center has been asked to cultivate a plan for traffic and parking by September.In their meeting Wednesday, selectmen asked the 164 West Shore Drive firm, the town’s last surviving nursery, to provide them with a plan that will alleviate the parking problems in the neighborhood, problems that have arisen off-and-on for the past 20 years.The firm has 11 parking spaces on its lot.Selectmen received the latest neighborhood complaint about on-street parking in June but delayed action until last week at the request of Attorney Paul Lynch, the firm’s lawyer.Lynch met with the board in public and got them to deal with the neighborhood complaints about the business directly, rather than referring them to the Traffic and Safety Advisory Committee. Lynch noted that “No Parking” signs were erected several months ago but were removed, “not by (the owner of the business).””Some neighbors want on-street parking,” he said.Selectman Judy Jacobi questioned that assertion.Lynch pointed out that the on-street parking problems are seasonal and are at their height for eight weeks or so in the spring. Right now, in the summer, parking is not a problem, but business will pick up again after Labor Day.Town Administrator Tony Sasso said the Traffic and Safety Advisory Committee would want to go to the site and make observations of the problems and if they don’t recur until September the committee would probably not have a recommendation until October.Police Chief Robert Picariello was asked for his opinion. “I think there are a lot of issues there in the spring and fall that need to be addressed,” he said. “The thing to do is to look at this again. If we get some cars (parking) off the street it will help some of the issues.”Selectmen told Lynch they expect to discuss the plan at their Sept. 8 meeting.