York Town News
Ellis Park parking policies perplex York Beach proprietors
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK BEACH - When the Board of Selectmen meets next week, one item that is expected to be on the agenda is a closer look at parking in the vicinity of the town's seaside business district.And to at least one business owner, that discussion cannot come quickly enough.
Like their counterparts in nearby Ogunquit, some in town are questioning the way paid parking is handled in certain portions of the community.
Local resident Joe Lipton, who owns the Inn on the Blues, located just across the street from the Ellis Park parking area, brought up concerns regarding changes to the paid parking hours at the lot at the selectmen's meeting on June 12.
Referring to a recent announcement that the Ellis Park trustees have extended the hours of metered parking in the lot until midnight, Lipton said local businesses and residents alike should have received notification prior to the change. He also said he has since checked with area towns and cities along the seacoast of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts only to find similar parking provisions in place in such communities as Salisbury, Mass., and Old Orchard Beach without similar limitations in places like Portsmouth, N.H.
"What is York Beach and what is the town of York, and what do we want to represent?" Lipton questioned the selectmen, describing the message that pay-only parking sends to those who would otherwise visit York Beach's restaurants and clubs that stay open past 9 p.m. "… I would like people to be invited into the town."
One issue, he said, is that most of the shops that could make change for the coin-operated meters close earlier than restaurants and clubs, making it difficult for residents and visitors alike to find quarters to feed the meters at 11 p.m.
He urged the board to discuss the issue with the Ellis Park trustees, and wondered whether such a compromise as using the town-issued parking permits to allow residents who want a late-night ice cream in the beach or to have dinner or hear a band, to park in the lot after 10 p.m. without paying.
And, he said, differences in regulations between the town's own meters and those owned by the park trustees add to the confusion.
Selectman Michael Estes questioned whether the increased enforcement of the extended parking hours is going to cost the town more in terms of additional hours for police personnel.
Police Chief Douglas Bracy said the park funds personnel costs toward the enforcement of its meters, and added the board should review the agreement between the town and Ellis Park trustees that was included in the incorporation of York and York Beach, saying that document should provide guidance.
Selectman Torbert Macdonald Jr. and Vice Chairman Dwight Bardwell said they want more information on the issue for an in-depth review.
"They weren't targeting the Goldenrod. They were targeting the clubs down there that stay open," Macdonald said, adding, "… I think it does contradict a spirit of fair play … to have businesses catering to the public in a certain way targeted."
The Planning Board, meanwhile, met with members of the trustees of Ellis Short Sands Park last month to gather information on their understanding of the parking availability in the beach, based on two recent large-scale project approvals. The Planning Board held that meeting as a fact-finding session to begin establishing facts for parking considerations in the beach, in conjunction with other workshops held with members of the York Beach Renaissance Committee on the formation of volunteer committee to research parking needs and options in the beach.
At the selectmen's meeting last week, the members reviewed a task description for the newly created York Beach Parking Committee and agreed that at its next meeting, both that task and the Ellis Park concerns will be discussed in detail.
The board is scheduled to meet on Monday, June 26, at the York Public Library at 7 p.m. As always, time will be set aside for public input at the start of the meeting.
