Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Proposed ordinance would ban parking in yards in Chesterton

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By KEVIN NEVERS

Under a proposed ordinance, Chesterton motorists would be prohibited from parking or driving vehicles on the front, side, or rear yards of their residences.

They would also be prohibited from parking vehicles on the so-called “greenway,” that area between the property line and the roadway.

The Police Commission split-voted to endorse the proposed ordinance at its meeting last week, with members Mike Orlich and Pete Duda voting in favor of it and Tim Scheerer against. The ordinance will now go to the Town Council for final action.

The proposed ordinance’s crucial language: “It shall be unlawful to drive and/or park a motor vehicle in the front yard, side yard, or rear yard of a lot, or in the greenway area which abuts a street of a lot zoned for a residential use.”

“Greenway” is defined as the “area, excluding the sidewalk, if any, between the property line and the curb or in the absence of a curb, between the property line and the nearest edge of the street paving, which is usually used for planting lawn, low ground cover, and/or street trees.”

The ordinance does not apply to “permanent parking areas,” those “portions of a zone lot with definite and identifiable boundaries and which is improved either with a hard surface or gravel or stone (and is) regularly used for driveways and parking areas, is regularly maintained as a parking area, and is intended to be permanently and continually used as a parking area.”

The ordinance also permits temporary parking in front, side, or rear yards or in greenways for the following reasons:

* Washing the vehicle.

* Overflow parking for a family gathering or similar event not exceeding 24 hours for any one occasion.

* Loading or unloading objects from a vehicle.

Violators are liable to a fine.

Members had a few questions for Police Chief Dave Cincoski prior to the vote. “What prompted this?” Orlich asked.” Was there a large number of complaints?”

“The Town Council received a citizen complaint about this issue and advised town administration to look at it,” Cincoski said.

Scheerer wanted to know whether the CPD would be responsible for enforcing the proposed ordinance. Cincoski said that it would.

Duda, for his part, asked whether the Town Council could amend the proposed ordinance after receiving public comment. Cincoski confirmed that council members could so amend it.

Palleson Promoted

In other business, members voted unanimously to promote Erik Palleson to the rank of First Class Officer, who marked his third year with the CPD on May 27.

CPD officers are eligible for promotion from Second Class to First after serving three years, Cincoski said, and Palleson’s supervisors have uniformly praised his work as exemplary.

“I concur wholeheartedly,” Member Pete Duda said. “Officer Palleson is a fine man.”

Godspeed

Orlich took a moment at the end of the meeting to extend his condolences to the family of Tom Bush, who died on May 17 at the age of 77. Bush served on the Police Commission from 1978 to 1990.

And Duda extended his condolences to retired CPD Chief George Nelson, whose wife, Lynn, died on June 1 at the age of 62.

May in Review

In May the CPD responded to 716 calls (593 in April), filed 57 cases (50), issued 106 citations and 67 warnings (40 and 30), and investigated 34 accidents with nine injuries (34 accidents with 12 injuries).

Calls for service in May included 83 suspicious vehicles and persons (83 in April), 11 thefts (three), 41 alarms (35), nine incidents of vandalism (one), five overdoses (zero), two train complaints (zero), 12 animal complaints (four), 220 traffic stops (130), 17 well-being checks (13), one missing person (zero), five reports of battery (three), 27 disturbances (20), eight reports of fraud (four), two motor vehicle thefts (one), two vehicle re-possessions (zero), one runaway (four), and one sex offense (zero).

 

 

Posted 6/12/2017

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

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