The Sweden Town Board held a public hearing on March 12 to gather input from residents regarding proposed parking restrictions during the total eclipse on April 8. Following the hearing, the Town Board deferred action until a special meeting that will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, at the Sweden Town Hall, 18 State Street.
The Town’s original proposal was to limit parking for the day on about a third of town-owned roads. Roads slated for no parking on April 8 included subdivision streets and other roads that are either narrow or have other traffic issues. The proposal did not include any state or county roads. Parking restrictions had been a recommendation made to the Town by public safety officials. The concern is keeping streets and roads accessible to emergency vehicles in what is predicted to be historically heavy traffic and parking.
Sweden Supervisor Patricia Hayles has been attending eclipse planning meetings even prior to becoming town supervisor on January 1. She has been in regular contact with the sheriff’s office and other emergency services organizations about eclipse traffic. Sweden’s highway superintendent and recreation director have also attended eclipse planning meetings over the past two years. “Our focus has been on transportation and public safety,” Hayles said.
Although only a handful of residents attended the public hearing, the Board took the comments seriously and decided to revisit the proposal and consult once again with traffic and public safety officials before making a final decision about the one-day parking restrictions.
Once a decision is made, it will be published in the Town’s legal newspaper, Westside News, the Town’s website at http://www.townofsweden.org, the Town of Sweden Supervisor Facebook page and on signs throughout the town.
Provided information
