CARIBOU, Maine — Local business owners discussed two-hour parking restrictions with Caribou’s Highway and Protection Committee during their March 22, 2016 meeting, debating whether or not the city has a parking issue, and the long-term ramifications of deciding to either enforce or not enforce parking rules in the area surrounding Sweden Street.
C.B. Smith, owner of VMS on Sweden Street, addressed Committee member and City Councilor Joan Theriault, who previously mentioned that she conducted a parking study in Caribou, finding that there were no parking issues.
“I’d like to point out that, using your words, that we don’t have a parking problem if we’re downtown the way it is right now,” said Smith. “I was just outside and have paid attention to the vehicles parked on Sweden street alone. There were 17 vehicles parked out there just before 5 p.m. My suggestion to you is that we don’t have a parking problem, but if you enforce a two-hour parking limit on Sweden, Stevens, Grange, and Prospect street, then you will definitely have a parking problem, because that will force everybody to try to go down to the Hatch Drive parking lot. If we put 17 more vehicles on Sweden Street in the Hatch Drive parking lot, then it will overflow.”
Theriault suggested that patrons also have the option to use the mall parking lot, and that they will not necessarily be forced into Hatch Drive.
“We’ve been managing this for years without an issue,” said Smith, “the issue now is the potential for enforcement and that’s why we’re here and there’s such a disagreement. These rules have not been enforced for more than a decade.”
Councilor Phil McDonough argued that, since the ordinance is still active, it should still be enforced.
“The law says that if you have an ordinance on the books, then you enforce it until it’s changed,” said McDonough. “That’s how we should be looking at this situation.”
Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan explained that the regulations weren’t enforced in the past because the penalty used to be a $2 parking ticket.
“It’s not feasible to send an officer down there for a $2 ticket,” said Gahagan, “So, in 2013, we changed it to a $10 ticket.”
Councilor David Martin suggested lifting the regulations for a brief period, in light of Smith’s statements and Theriault’s study, to see if it works.
“The reason we have parking ordinances is so people can get into businesses,” said Martin, “not so we can make ten bucks. If businesses aren’t having problems with people getting in, then we don’t have a problem. There are two opinions here: that Sweden Street will be empty or that we will have a huge problem if we don’t do something. Well, let’s try it for a while and see who is right.”
County Qwik Print co-owner Anissa Levesque added that parking has never been an issue for her business.
“We’ve all been really respectful,” said Levesque. “If we have a situation where a car is in front of a door and a handicapped person is unable to come in, we’ll figure out who it is and they’ll move the car. It’s really not an issue. I think we should stop the ordinance for now, and enforce it if it becomes a problem.”
Councilor Tim Guerrette was also in favor of lifting the regulations.
“I’d like to see all of Sweden Street have two-hour parking,” said Guerrette, “and everything else as a free-for-all. If you park and the lot gets plowed, you better have a shovel if you don’t move your vehicle.”
CIty Council later voted, during their March 28 meeting, to not add two-hour parking regulations for Grange Street and voted to hold a public hearing for lifting the regulations on other surrounding streets.
