The Hermiston City Council met in a work session Monday night to discuss a lack of parking in downtown Hermiston – real or merely perceived.
“Whether there is a lack of parking downtown, the perception is that there is,” said Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan.
The council took the initial steps Monday in tackling a problem that may not exist. Morgan said while some downtown parking lots are often heavily used, other lots – as well as parking spots along city streets – aren’t fully utilized. For example, Morgan said people new to the area often do not know about the parking lot behind the Hermiston Public Library.
In an effort, however, to add a modest number of new parking spots, the city began working with the engineering firm Anderson-Perry to see what could be done without busting the city budget.
The short-term answer: angled parking – at least in one or two areas. Morgan suggested to the council that the easiest way to increase parking spots in the general downtown area would be to paint striped angled parking spots along E. Gladys Avenue in front of the library and the Building Department. Morgan said if the stripes were painted at a 30-degree angle, it would provide an extra four spots along that portion of E. Gladys.
And, he said, if it proves unpopular, the stripes could be removed and residents could return to parallel parking along that street.
Another area considered for angled parking is along Second Street between Main Street and Hurlburt Avenue, either on the east side or west side of second, but not both.
Having angled parking on just one side of the street would preserve the needed 12-foot travel lane for motorists.
Photos from the 1950s show angled parking on both sides of Main Street, but Morgan doesn’t recommend returning to angled parking on Main Street. For one thing, vehicles weren’t as long as they are today and didn’t stick out into the street as far as today’s cars and trucks do. And, said Morgan, the width of Main Street is less than it was decades ago because the sidewalks were extended years ago to make room for the trees along the Main Street sidewalks.
The council will take action on whether or not to install angled parking along E. Gladys Avenue at its Jan. 23 meeting.
