Parking Plan Draws Ire

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — Main Street is scheduled for a parking makeover following paving by the town and NH Department of Transportation. Some residents are concerned about the loss of parking spaces that will result.

The town and state agency plan to restripe parking spots following the paving. That work will reduce the number of traditional parking spaces, as well as eliminate a crosswalk in the downtown area. The goal is to increase safety and ADA compliance.

At a March 6 selectboard meeting, the Chief of the Paving Section for the NHDOT, Ronald Grandmaison, presented a preliminary outline for new parking spaces. Grandmaison said that, while paving is a state project, he was asked by the town if the DOT would include striping.

“We don’t typically restripe on street parking when we come through and do the paving,” Grandmaison said. “That’s up to the municipality; typically, that’s their jurisdiction. I was asked, as part of our paving project, if I could include the striping. The only way I could is if I make it MUTCD compliant.”

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is a federal document that specifies the standards for road surface markings expected by the USDOT. As a result, there is an ongoing conversation regarding exactly how many spots the town will lose.

Some parking that is currently slated to be removed is in front of the Newport Opera House. That area will be used to add an ADA-compliant ramp for people to access that part of the street from the crosswalk.

Heidi North, co-owner of Newport Fitness and Spa, is not just worried about her business, but the town as a whole.

“Newport is already short on parking,” North said. “The Opera House events, our county seat courts, and common activities are among a few they need to support. Many businesses have small parking areas for employees but depend on the town to offer parking to shoppers and visitors.”

The spaces in front of North’s business are currently diagonal, but with the MUTCD changes, they may be switched to parallel parking, which will significantly decrease availability.

“The state wants to eliminate diagonal parking there and make it parallel parking, which will make it less congested and more visible,” Town Manager Hunter Reiseberg said of planned work.

Donna Mahair, owner of Petal Patch on Main Street, has been at her downtown location for 22 years and believes her business would go backwards.

“I did some quick numbers; I am a flower shop. If I lose the proposed parking that they are talking about, I would lose four customers an hour. For an eight-hour day [that] is 32. An average sale for Valentine’s is $100, that is $3200 for a day. That is my biggest holiday. That is not counting Mother’s Day, or the other holidays I deal with,” she said of her factored monetary losses.

Sandra Demeis, owner of Universal Physical Therapy, is new to the location as of two years ago, but echoes Mahair’s apprehension. She says that she was hesitant to move onto Main Street initially because of the lack of available parking, especially when there are events at the Opera House, when there is court, or when there are funerals. This change would compound that. “My clients need to be close as mobility can be limited. Decreasing parking will substantially limit how many people we can treat. This would make us have to consider not being on Main Street. No parking no customers,” she said.

MJ Harrington owner David Lantz told the Eagle Times that he wasn’t immediately aware of the changes but believes the town has been taking business owners’ thoughts into consideration when planning to stripe the fresh pavement.

“If we reduce any more than that it could be detrimental to the future of the building,” Lantz said. “Not that people don’t mind walking, but I’d like to find some alternative methods. I think their intention has always been to create a more beautiful downtown, and a key issue is safety. We don’t want anyone getting hurt downtown.”

“We absolutely love being part of this area and hope to do it for years to come,” Demeis said of staying in business at the current location. “I hope our Select Board would consider our business and Main Street,” she concluded.