Overview:
The Athol Selectboard has voted 4-0 to remove No Parking signs that were previously installed on Ridge Road in September. The decision came after a public hearing during which several opponents of the signs urged their removal, while those who had asked for their installation in the first place asked the board to keep them in place. The area has been seen as a safe space for residents to enjoy recreational activities, and opponents of the signs argued that they posed no harm. However, some residents had asked for the signs to be installed due to safety concerns and disturbances caused by young people parking there late at night.
ATHOL – Following a strong debate at its meeting on Tuesday, the Selectboard voted 4-0 to remove No Parking signs which it had previously voted to install on Ridge Road in September.
As of late Wednesday morning, the signs were gone.
The board’s vote to reverse its earlier decision came in the wake of a well-attended public hearing, during which several opponents of the signs urged their removal, and those who had asked that they be installed in the first place asked the board to keep them in place.
At the start of the hearing, Chair Rebecca Bialecki asked fellow board member Brian Dodge to recuse himself from voting on the matter, since his son Kyle had led the petition drive to have the signs taken down.
“I believe there’s the appearance of a conflict here,” said Bialecki.
For his part, Dodge responded by saying, “If it were Kyle by himself, I would certainly recuse myself, but this is a petition with over a hundred other signatures on it. I feel it’s my duty to represent those people in the course of this hearing.”
Town Counsel John Barrett weighed in, saying to Dodge, “I think you’ve articulated a good explanation because, when you are in a position of representing a group of people, even though you may have someone who has a particular interest in it, you also have the general interest. I think the fact you have disclosed the relationship…I think it would be unlikely that you’d be in a conflict of interest.”
With that issued resolved, Kyle Dodge proceeded to read from the petition presented earlier to the board. He said that the area in question has for many years been seen as a safe space for residents of Athol “to walk, cycle, and take photographs throughout the seasons and enjoy stargazing from the cul-de-sac.”
Regarding the signs themselves, he added, “We are unaware of any safety hazards or incidents that would warrant such restrictions and we believe that brief, respectful parking for recreational purposes poses no harm.” The signs, he continued, appear to have “emboldened certain individuals to confront or intimidate others who are simply enjoying a public way – an area owned and maintained by the town.”
Douglas Bullen urged that the signs be kept in place. Bullen, who lives on Wellington Avenue, told the board he owns a parcel on Ridge Road, the last one on the cul-de-sac.
He said he had asked the board in September to install the signs “because of real problems. This is not personal; it’s about safety and common sense.” Even before he bought his property, Bullen said people were parking up there, hanging out and causing problems.
“Most of the people who signed the petition said they want to continue to enjoy the view,” Bullen said. “But the truth is this; my taxes are higher because my property is assessed for the view. Most of the people who signed the petition don’t have the view and do not pay taxes on the view. That being said, there’s plenty of room to park along Ridge Road itself without turning the cul-de-sac into a parking lot.”
“We are unaware of any safety hazards or incidents that would warrant such restrictions and we believe that brief, respectful parking for recreational purposes poses no harm.”
kyle dodge
Bullen said young people from the area had been “coming up there late at night, drinking, smoking weed, doing burnouts, donuts, and loud groups up there until two, three, four o’clock in the morning.”
“The signs are working,” Bullen concluded. “The neighborhood is safer, and I’m asking the board to stand by the decision it made on Sept. 16.”
“Frankly,” said Selectboard member Dodge, “I find it very offensive when someone stands up and says, ‘I pay more taxes, I get more say.’”
He went on to state there are safety reasons that No Parking signs are posted in other areas of town, including the need to accommodate fire apparatus.
Board member William Chiasson suggested that a vote on the matter be tabled until the board’s next meeting to give members more time to weigh the issue, as well as consider the possibility of posting signs prohibiting parking between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Signs noting those restrictions had been in place prior to the installation of the No Parking signs.
The board, however, voted 4-0 to have the signs removed. Board member Mitch Grosky was absent.