by Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
In a true reflection of the democratic process, borough residents expressed a concern and the Borough Council made a change.
After hearing Colorado Avenue residents’ complaints Monday about a new parking lot being built in Memorial Park, and speaking to them after the Borough Council meeting, Borough Clerk Phil Petrone has suspended the project and will return the land to its “original state.”
”I met with the people at the meeting and we came to an agreement to resolve the issue,” he said Tuesday. “Everything will stay status quo.”
The parking lot project, Mr. Petrone said, was originally intended to move traffic off Colorado Avenue and provide more parking to ensure that children are not forced to walk across the street to the pools and park.
”For some years, we had been talking about the project to take traffic off Colorado Avenue,” he said. “Our concern has always been for the safety of the kids. We thought we were doing the right thing.”
Mr. Petrone said the parking lot was being built on the corner of Colorado and South 18th avenues, to be used in addition to the one already located at the corner of Colorado and South 16th avenues.
”We didn’t want kids running out in the middle of parked cars in the street,” he said.
But residents at Monday’s meeting were concerned the additional parking lot was not ensuring safety, and was actually reducing space for the children.
One Colorado Avenue resident said the parking lot actually presents an additional safety hazard because it was to be placed in the park, and several hundred feet away from the pool. He requested that the council put in a work stop order to discontinue the building of the parking lot.
Mr. Petrone said the decision to build the parking lot was made by the council for the safety of the children.
”The park was a big reason for my moving here,” said Ed Sherer, of Colorado Avenue. “Having the parking lot will not keep the kids out of the street. There is a parking lot already there that no one uses.”
Also of concern to the residents was the issue of flooding from the lot during heavy rains.
”I am concerned with flooding there because the nearest drain is on Roosevelt Avenue,” Jeffrey Brandt, of Colorado Avenue, said. “How many gallons of water will be pushed out and will go into our homes?”
After listening to the residents, Mr. Petrone asked what would make them happy. Applause erupted in the audience when one resident responded, “To have it put back into a park.”
Because of the strong objections, Mr. Petrone said the borough will discontinue the project, which was being done by a contractor already doing repaving work nearby on Roosevelt Avenue. He said that asphalt removed from the road work was being recycled in the parking lot.
The work itself, Mr. Petrone said, was at no cost to the borough.
Mr. Brandt, a professional paver, expressed concerns about dumping the millings on the ground, which he said can seep into the ground when it rains.
”Dumping asphalt millings is contaminating the ground,” he said. “You are supposed to put road-based stone down to prevent that.”
In discussing his concerns, Mr. Brandt also outlined several possible suggestions for improving the current parking lot and surrounding road, including drawing line spaces and allowing for parking on only one side of the street.
In addition, Mr. Brandt said it might be beneficial to make a speed limit of five miles per hour on Colorado Avenue during the summer months when the pool is open.
”Let’s maximize the space with the parking,” he said. “At the lot, let’s trim the trees or put lines in.”
Mr. Petrone said there are no plans for any improvements to the current lot, but that the plans for the new lot have been fully abandoned.
”We still have safety on our minds (and) we thought we were doing the right thing,” he said. “But we will abolish the lot.”

