Montroy Park Parking Problem Fix Needed Soon

OGDENSBURG - City officials are looking to fix parking problems at Montroy Park before the spring sports season begins.

After reviewing parking issues on St. Lawrence Avenue and Gates Street, at the southeast end of the park, city officials are developing a proposal to ease congestion and make the area safer.

According to City Councilor Michael D. Morley, the proposals include changing the parking along St. Lawrence Avenue to alternate parking, restriping the parking lot to accommodate 30 cars, making Gates Street from the concession stand to St. Lawrence Avenue a no-parking zone and planting trees along the Gates Street embankment.

Outlining spaces in the parking lot should increase use because it will stop people from parking at odd angles and taking up too much space, Mr. Morley said.

"They are all simple solutions, with low costs," Mr. Morley said. "We would like to do every one of them."

Officials plan to submit a resolution to the Ogdensburg City Council with the proposed changes for its Monday meeting. While the parking changes will require public hearings, Mr. Morley said, he hopes the changes can be made before baseball season starts in May.

The park includes football and soccer fields and three baseball diamonds.

Ogdensburg Kiwanis Club President Larry G. Mitchell, who runs the Ogdensburg Kiwanis baseball program, said a T-ball tournament can bring 100 players to the fields and up to 300 spectators.

"All the games seem to end at the same time and we have kids all leaving at once and walking in between cars. The way the cars park, they park perpendicular to the fence, and it's really hard to see when you're backing out," he said.

Although there have not been any major accidents at the park, there have been some fender-benders, Mr. Mitchell said. He said ambulances responding to accidents or sports-related injuries also have difficulty squeezing through the cars.

"The only down side to this whole thing I can see anybody complaining about is now they are going to have to walk a little bit," he said. "It's a safety issue. I would rather see somebody walk a block than the risk we have right now with some kid getting hit."