Mequon could analyze parking issue in town center
By Erik S. Hanley
MEQUON - The city is looking into conducting a traffic and parking analysis on the town center area.
Director of Public Works Kristen Lundeen got input from the common council March 14 regarding the direction to go and when.
Lundeen said the parking and traffic analysis for the civic campus and other adjacent town center developments was recommended as part of a workshop meeting.
Alderman Robert Strzelczyk said residents have been saying they go to the town center and can’t park to visit the amenities they want to visit.
“In town center, the most effective thing we can do is pre-plan versus react,” said Strzelczyk.
One option for the study included using previous numbers to estimate needs at the town center during the summer. Lundeen said one question she was looking for input on is whether or not the council considered those counts valid parking demand numbers to use.
Another option included waiting until the summer to get fresh usage data.
City Administrator Will Jones pointed out kids will be out of school and driving in the summer as well as restaurants using outdoor dining facilities. He said if counts are done now the analysis won’t include those heavy use numbers.
“We need to measure twice and cut once,” Jones said, adding that the analysis could likely be completed by July 31 to include summer numbers.
Alderwoman Connie Pukaite said the city has heard concerns from residents regarding parking at the town center since last summer. She said people couldn’t get to the library, and there were issues at the pool and elsewhere.
Pukaite said the analysis can’t be based on estimates and book analysis; it has to be seen. She questioned why the study has to be completed so fast.
“This government is always slow,” replied Alderman John Wirth.
Wirth suggested the study could be done in two parts — now and in the summer. Additionally, he said there are numerous options the city has to fix the issue such as increasing parking at the library, suggesting that those using the baseball diamond use that parking, for example.
Mayor Dan Abendroth said the analysis should help create a 20-30 year plan for parking in the area.
Preservation petition
A petition from residents was presented to the council at the meeting with more than 200 signatures to preserve the civic campus.
The goal of the petition was to support enhancing and modernizing the pool and other elements of the civic campus, such as the sports field. The residents who spoke about the petition during public comment said they wanted to preserve the publicly-owned civic campus from privatization.
The city is considering two proposals for the Logemann Center — knock down the building as part of an update to the civic campus or keep a portion for a restaurant.
Those signing the petition are in opposition to the proposed sports pub restaurant, citing parking concerns as one element.