Millerton parking: Ongoing issue for merchants and customers

MILLERTON — With the holiday season drawing near, the village of Millerton is a lively hub for shoppers hoping to buy a little something and see the sights. However, with more people visiting the area and its resources, parking is a frequent issue. Now that the first snowfall has hit the region, village merchants and officials are looking to highlight available parking options and set guidelines for all to follow.

Parking was a frequent point of discussion among Millerton Business Alliance (MBA) members this fall. The MBA agreed that all merchants and employees should be encouraged to park off Main Street — freeing up space for customers. MBA members Thorunn Kristjansdottir, Jeanne Vanecko, Bob Murphy and Dana Rohn  drafted and distributed flyers to village merchants.

The MBA flyer stated it was “the consensus of the members that all business owners and employees should park in either the municipal parking area on Century Boulevard, or the Rail Trail parking lot on South Center Street, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday Mondays.”

It was pointed out that parking behind the Oakhurst Diner is available for diner staff, Hunter Bee, PLACE, Montage and the Antiques Center. Short-term exceptions are made for merchants loading and unloading merchandise. 

Now that winter’s on the way, the MBA reminded merchants that Millerton has an ordinance prohibiting overnight parking on any roads from Dec. 10 through April 10, 2019 to allow for the plowing of snow.

Describing the issue as a two-fold conversation, Kristjansdottir said the problem with parking varies, depending on whether it’s seen through the perspective of the merchants, MBA or incoming visitors. 

For local businesses, on-street parking can be an issue when merchants load and unload merchandise but are unable to, as a result of cars occupying spaces needed for unloading. 

From the visitors’ perspective, Kristjansdottir said people don’t want to walk to a business if they can’t find an available parking spot. However,  patrons frequently take up parking spaces for hours on end.

Speaking from a merchant’s perspective, Kristjansdottir mused that while some merchants have these particular issues with parking, there are other merchants able to come into town and find a spot without any issues.

“You could argue both sides of it,” she said. “It depends who you speak to. Like I said, ever since I’ve been here, it’s been an ongoing conversation and it seems divided 50/50 between there being a problem and there not being a problem.”

As a longtime business owner, Dick Hermans of Oblong Books & Music admitted, while the village tends to get a little crowded on the weekends, the area is small enough that people can easily find a parking spot within a few blocks from where they want to go. When asked if he’s experienced any issue with parking, he replied that he hasn’t since he knows what parking options are available.

“I can probably count on one hand the number of people that have complained about not finding parking in Millerton,” Hermans said, “and that goes back a way.”

Meanwhile, in Railroad Plaza, during the week, Brigitte Harney from Harney & Sons said parking isn’t a problem for business, though it tends to become an issue when the weekend rolls in. Not only does it deter incoming business, but it also becomes problematic for Harney & Sons employees looking for a place to park before work.

“If they can’t park, they won’t come,” Harney said. “I guess, some people don’t like to walk. It’s hard to keep control of that … it’s not an easy situation.”

Kristjansdottir suggested that educating visitors and residents about parking procedures and advertising available parking options might be an effective solution. She said the MBA has tried to make signs that indicate where customers can go for parking. Merchants have also taken it upon themselves to tell their customers where to park. There has also been some discussion with Village Mayor Debbie Middlebrook about setting up parking limits and establishing different signage to point out the parking spaces and crosswalks in the village.

As one of the few businesses in Millerton to offer dedicated parking to its customers, Paul Choma from Gilded Moon Framing suggested having better indicators might make it easier for people to find places to park.

“We have a very large parking lot that our customers use,” he said, “but what we see is the wave of lines is not painted and that creates a problem. If there were boxes painted [on the road], I think it would be a bit easier for people to park.”

After seeing a few cars get hit on Main Street, Choma stressed more clearly defined lines on Main Street would help.