Conference 7.286::maynard

    There's the new parking lot behind the buildings on Main Street.
    Driving up from the Mill, turn left just past the Paper Store (I
    think a big "Parking" sign is visible there now).  It seems like
    a long way around, but there is a walking cut-through down by the
    river.  The actual walking distance is probably less than from the
    upper parking lot behind the Mill.
    
    The last time I checked (about a week ago), there were some unmetered
    parking spaces.  I don't know how long that will last.

    Does anyone know what the parking regulations are in the lot across
    from the Fine Arts Theater adjacent to the parking garage?
    
    There are numbers painted on the pavement and I saw a sign that
    said something about the parking being restricted to residents or
    businesses during certain hours.
    
    Are the spaces numbered and assigned to individuals?
    
    

    I read a newspaper article about this.  I read it twice, and I still
    didn't understand what's going on.  Here's my best attempt: 

    There are signs which say that specific spaces are reserved.  However,
    there is no procedure for assigning these reserved spaces to anyone. No
    such procedure is planned.  I'm not sure, but I don't think that anyone
    said that you would be ticketed if you parked there.  Some town
    official discussed the situation and said that is was a good idea as it
    stands. 

    Maybe I'm just dense, but it made no sense to me at all. 

    Perhaps the idea is that us residents are supposed to know these things,
    and non-residents are not, like the fact that no one gets ticketed for
    parking in front of Salamone's. 
    
        -Steve, who lives and works on Thompson Street

    The numbers are so they can give you tickets for exceeding the 2-hour
    limit. I don't know why they have to have numbers (street spaces don't,
    but maybe they use meter numbers?). There was a piece in the Beacon
    saying that they had people whom the courts sentenced to public-service
    work painting the numbers.

    I didn't understand the business about the signs in the lot, either.

					-- hs

I heard recently from a reliable source that DEC will be building a two-
level parking garage on the present site of the lower Thompson Street lot.
It will resemble the two-level garage downtown, such that the top level
will be uncovered.  I don't know how big it will be but I got the
impression it won't cover the entire lot, only a portion of it.

The BIG question now, is, what do they propose to do during construction
with the hundreds of cars that park there every day - ?

Anyone else hear about this new garage?

Kip

                I've heard the same rumor. I also have the same
        question. Hopefully the move of our department will have
        happened by then, and I will only need to wory about it on
        sporadic occasions.
                
                /s/     Bob

re: .6
>                I've heard the same rumor.

I didn't consider what I heard to be a rumor.  My source told me she had
seen an artist's depiction of the completed garage, and it looked quite
nice.

FWIW, she's been with the company for DECades...

Kip

    Maybe this new garage is intended to absorb all the additional cars
    that will result from cancellation of the Digital Conmmuter Van
    program.
    
    

    If they do the construction right, the impact on the current parking
    situation should be minimal.  Consider this:
    
    	Every couple of days, they try to put up a pillar or two, when
    these are finished, they allow parking next to the pillars.
    
    	When all of the pillars are completed, they start to put sections
    of the second level in.  Since the pillars will probably be pretty
    close togehter to allow for parking on the second level, a realatively
    small portion of the parking lot will need to be closed.  When each
    section is finished, they allow parking under the second floor.
    
    
    It seems that if they follow something like this, that they can
    do it without too much disruption.  I say GREAT!  Since I get here
    before 7:00 anyway, that means that during the HOT summer and snowing
    winters that I can park my car under cover!
    
    
    -bill

.9's idea of building the deck a little at a time, to minimize lost parking
spaces during construction, is OK in theory but unrealistic in practice.
Construction companies and construction workers simply don't think or work
that way.  In addition to the area under construction, they need huge spaces 
in which to store construction materials, turn around heavy machinery, and
generally make messes.  The insurance companies - both the customer's and the 
construction company's - probably have a lot to say about maintaining a
physical barrier between the work areas and the public, for the duration of
the project. 

Theoretically, anything's possible given enough time and money.  But, even 
if Digital were willing to pay for special construction techniques to minimize 
parking disruption, it would be hard to find contractors willing to do the job 
that way.  

In my opinion, the way to minimize the impact of a construction project is
to get it finished quickly.  That means planning it thoroughly, then getting 
out of the way and letting the hardhats do their stuff. 

    	DCL_who_somehow_survived_total_reconstruction_of_his_kitchen

                  I heard this new parking lot rumor a few years ago
    and that it was shot down because the Lower Thompson St. lot was
    origionally built on fill and that it would not support the weight
    of a parking deck. They could probably engineer it but the cost
    would have been to much. Besides, isn't the Mill pretty full now?
    How much more parking do they need? How many more cars can downtown
    Maynard handle?
                  As another one of those who works and lives on Thompson
    St. I'd just like to put in my gripe about Deccies who think Thompson
    St. is a DEC parking lot. Inconsiderate so-and-so's! They can really
    clog up the street on a rainy day or if there's a big meeting in
    the cafeteria conference rooms.
     
    

File a petittion to have it posted 2 hour parking 9-5 mon-fri.

I noticed that the condo's on Sudbury st. recently were posted that 
way.  I don't know whose idea it was, I don't think they pushed for 
it.  I know that there were wall to wall cars in front of there before, 
don't know if the posting helped.

           Once again Thompson St. has been lined with cars all day.
    The street is already posted for two hour parking,9-5. I am beginning
    to recognize alot of these cars. They are repeat offenders. Three
    in particular this summer have been there almost every day. I suppose
    they think it's okay as long as they pay the occaisional ticket
    they get. I would rather have our cops out doing the school safety
    routine than spending time ticketing people who are inconsiderate
    clods, but I hate to see the offenders get away with it.
           It is also a rather unattractive spectacle. It is very difficult
    for the residents. When the houses were built people didn't have
    cars and many houses do not have adequate parking. Some have been
    turned into multiple family dwellings. There are times when we have
    to park on the street.
            When I asked about having the area changed to resident parking
    the response was that it causes more problems than it solves.Residents
    get stickers and then give them to friends at DEC so they can park
    there anyway,etc. But the present arrangement doesn't work either.
    The police don't get off crossing duty 'til 9:00. Cars have then
    been parked for over an hour. If the cop bothers to check he must
    then return at 11:00 to ticket. If he's not busy
                   I guess I'll just keep on bugging the police to come
    up and ticket,but what a waste.It's not a solution. Just us getting
    back at the illegal parkers. Anybody have any other suggestions?
    I,m going to talk to the selectmen.
                                           
     
                    

    RE:.13
    
    Why not take your problem to Digital security?  Digital certainly
    would like to present a good image in the community and should be
    willing to assist you.  They (Digital Security) has put out notices
    in the past about not parking in certain locations in town and has
    been very effective.
    
    	/s/	Roger
    

re: .13 (HOLTORF)
>            When I asked about having the area changed to resident parking
>    the response was that it causes more problems than it solves.Residents
>    get stickers and then give them to friends at DEC so they can park
>    there anyway,etc.

I don't doubt what you're saying (or that the police said this) but it
seems highly unlikely that the residents of Thompson St., with the parking
shortage alread acute, would spite themselves by giving away stickers to
allow DECcies a place to park for hours on end.
                    
A resident parking sticker would seem to be a logical solution, allocating
one sticker per registered vehicle (which should be easy enough to confirm).

And, as .14 pointed out, DEC security should also be interested in
maintaining a good public image.  What they can do about it is beyond me,
though.  They won't even tow a car that is blocking another DEC employee,
as happened to me and another guy during the same week last April.

Kip

re: .5 (me)

Well, as everyone who's read the latest (Mill) Customer Satisfaction
Survey that's recently been distributed knows by now, the "on-site
parking structure" has been put on hold because "the current capital
situaton has deferred further consideration".

No money, no funny.

Kip