Editors note: this story has been changed to reflect information gathered in a follow up interview with the city manager. HERE is s link to that story
A motion to approve an ordinance to remove four parking spaces on the east side of Main Street for the Carroll County jail project failed to pass through the Carroll City Council on Monday night on vote of three to three. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, says it is now up to the county to come back and request any further discussions or to make modifications to the plans that would remove one entrance. He adds, they have made it known to the county they need to meet about those revised plans.
Some comments have been brought to Carroll Broadcasting by county residents that Monday’s vote appeared to be more about stopping the jail project than addressing the parking issues. Pogge-Weaver was asked to comment on that viewpoint.
However, the building permit that Pogge-Weaver references, is not what is filed with Planning and Zoning or presented to the Carroll County Supervisors. The document given to them does not include the condition he references. A copy of that paperwork, approved on Sept. 16 with a signature of approval by Perry Johnson, a building official for the City of Carroll, is included below. Pogge-Weaver provides his perspective on the validity of the streetscape plan now that the council’s portion has failed. The county was asked to remedy the possibility that vehicles could, at times, be on the sidewalk and/or partially out into Main Street by cantilevering (recessing) the doors. The Shive-Hattery letter, dated Aug. 6, says the county agreed to make that alteration to the overhead doors and reduce the size of the Sally port inside to make one door entry and one door exit only. Pogge-Weaver was asked by Carroll Broadcasting if the county needs to adhere to the recommendations in the streetscape plan in light of Monday’s vote.
Pogge-Weaver says they will stick by this recommendation, even though the last words of that quote, “We believe that would still be necessary to provide good visibility for everyone in the traveling public on Main Street and the pedestrians on Main Street,” has been of the same tenor as arguments used about the safety to be gained in removing the four parking spaces. Pogge-Weaver points out the plan the county submitted for the building permit showed the elimination of two spaces and the Bolton & Menk study said if the two drives were there, the remaining spaces would be a safety concern. In light of the parking debate, Carroll County Resident, Virginia Hagemann, has asked at a public meeting how many parking spaces, if any, were eliminated during all the different streetscape phases over the years. Pogge-Weaver says he will try to gather that information. Carroll Broadcasting reached out to Supervisor Chair, Neil Bock, who says they will refrain from commenting at this point. Supervisors will enter into a closed session at their Monday meeting, 9 a.m. at the courthouse, and will have a comment for the press shortly thereafter.
Document on file with Planning and Zoning of Carroll County (click on image two times to bring to full size)
