At the request of the First United Methodist Church, the Hermiston City Council passed a resolution prohibiting parking on the east side of the church.
The request came from Pastor Scott Allen, who sought a solution to a problem in which parked cars were blocking the loading ramp used by disabled visitors to the church. Parking had been allowed on the church’s east side except for the hours of 8 to 10 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. There had been no restrictions on weekends. The previous parking restrictions were put in place to accommodate the Head Start program when it used the church up until four years ago.
The council approved Allen’s request to make the 70-foot area adjacent to the church a Loading Zone, meaning parking will only be allowed in that space for loading and unloading.
“This will ensure that persons with limited mobility will have access to our building,” Allen wrote in a letter to the council.
The council passed the resolution, 5-1. Councilor Frank Harkenrider opposed the resolution out of concern it would limit parking availability for nearby businesses.
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