News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Creating new parking spaces could be a potential solution to alleviate parking problems along Cookeville’s 8th Street.
Public Works Director Greg Brown said the decision to create new spaces lays with the City Manager. He said after that the question becomes the perpetual upkeep of the lines.
“After you paint them or you use thermoplastic or tape,” Brown said, “eventually they’ll start wearing out. The paint will fade, and a lot of times the tape will peel off after a period of time, so there is some maintenance involved to keep them where you can see where the parking space goes.”
Brown said that although it is the City Manager’s decision to create the spaces, it is then Public Works’ responsibility to decide which spaces in Cookeville need to be touched up from time-to-time. He said most of that work is performed by his department unless it is part of a bigger paving project.
“After they’re painted it would be our department that would decide unless we get some complaints,” Brown said. “I’m sure we have some now that need to be maintained, but we normally do that in-house unless we’re paving the street and it’s part of the pavement. If the parking spot is in part of the pavement we re-do, we can get the stripper in the contract to do it, but generally they are done in-house.”
The Cookeville Planning Commission delayed a vote on creating new residential parking districts Monday night. The decision was postponed over lingering questions some members have over the specific language of some new regulations the decision would create. Planning Director Jon Ward said he would compile answers to those questions to present at August’s meeting.
Creating the parking districts was created by Cookeville officials in response to increased parking of Tennessee Tech students along 8th Street between Jefferson and Washington Avenues. Residents have complained of the parking problems since Tech increased parking fees.
Brown said that there are other ways to alleviate the parking congestion outside of creating new spaces. He said the city already uses other means to prevent problems.
“We have places where the curbs are painted yellow for no parking,” Brown said. “We have ‘no parking’ signs. There’s all kinds of different things you can do, but when you have the ‘no parking’ signs and the yellow-painted curb, then you have the enforcement you would have to do.”
