| Author |
Message |
    
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2668
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 11:41 am: |     |
So, January is the time to register our little ones for Kindergarten, but just try to park anywhere near the BOE to do so!!!!!
Registration hours are something like 9:45 to 12:30. Any parking on the street anywhere near the BOE building is "No Parking" until 11:00 (I was there at 10:00). The block between Parker and Beach Street is "BOE Permit Only" and only on one side. There are something like 5 visitor spots in the BOE lot, and two of those are handicapped.
Saw some poor schmuck who may not even have been aware of the parking restrictions getting a ticket, and I'm sure they weren't the only ones. They're like sitting ducks for the Parking Authority!
Ultimately, after driving around in circles, ended up having to park like two blocks away--where there's a two hour limit--and schlep through puddles and pouring rain with the little ones.
Hey, Maplewood, thanks for making it so darn easy to park and conduct business at the BOE building! |
GOP Man
Citizen
Username: Headsup
Post Number: 263
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 12:31 pm: | |
Maybe the town can buy a couple of houses on Academy St. near the BOE, tear them down, and pave the land for parking. I'm all for that, it appears there's demand for the parking spaces. It would be the free market at work. |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2669
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 12:39 pm: | |
Or perhaps something a little less drastic like modifying the parking rules somewhat so anyone conducting business at the BOE during regular business hours might have an easier time parking?
Something like 30 minute parking between the hours of 9 and 5? |
The Libertarian
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 1374
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 12:47 pm: | |
this thread made me happy. thank you. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 2228
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 1:10 pm: | |
schadenfreude |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 1120
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 1:18 pm: | |
The BOE is on Academy,just off Parker right?
If so you shouldn't expect to park on the block where the BOE is located (at least not during business hours). Academy's a narrow street and really can only accommodate one-side of the street parking. Since there's such limited parking I think people who work there each day (in this case BOE employees) should have first dibs on that street's closest available parking during the day. What's left goes to the lucky. Anyway walking a couple of blocks is not my idea of problem that the government needs to address. Sure it's bad in this weather, but as you know, this is a very congested area, short of the drastic steps that GOP Man suggested (kidding of course) it's just one of those conditions you're going to have to live with. |
The Libertarian
Citizen
Username: Local_1_crew
Post Number: 1375
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 1:24 pm: | |
schadenfreude
one of my top ten favorite words. it is below "yam" and "calliope" |
GOP Man
Citizen
Username: Headsup
Post Number: 264
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 2:14 pm: | |
Joe is right. The BOE or government doesn't need to get involved. Let's privatize and the market can do its magic. Let the homeowners build parking decks on their property and charge for parking. Entrepreneurship is always the answer. |
slipknot (slippy)
Citizen
Username: Zotts
Post Number: 220
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 3:53 pm: | |
Actually you can part up Academy past the South Orange sign. |
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 809
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 3:58 pm: | |
Meand - I'll chime in and rant along - had the same thoughts as you - here's my solution...provide a parking verification with the packet so that if you get a ticket while conducting (mandatory!) business at the BOE you have an out (seems they could write down the time you are there). Or, as Meand suggests, make a few extra spots available or whatever to accommodate the anticipated extra need for this limited time. Yes - the folks who work in the building need parking, but I also think the community being served by the BOE needs parking too.
Generally, I try not to sweat getting a spot close to the store entrance and will park a few blocks from Kings in town & roll my groceries to my car or whatever. But possibly in Meand's (& my) situation: say you take a (dodgy) spot a few blocks away & manage to jam your (no-longer-wants-to-be-in-the stroller) young toddler (who also refuses to hold your hand much of the time & weighs too much to be carried for blocks) into said stroller...all so you can show up in person to do something that, IMHO, could be conducted by mail (I know - the original documents - but perhaps a notarized document & then be ready to show originals if called in)...and then still risk getting a ticket on most streets around there. It's a problem for those of us that encounter it & since it was labeled rant, it was clearly meant to be just that...not a debate on big/small government. Parking adjustments are made all the time (election day, construction etc) to accommodate a special situation & there is a special situation at certain times of this month due to registration. |
argon_smythe
Citizen
Username: Argon_smythe
Post Number: 729
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:02 pm: | |
Don't register your kids for school in Maplewood PA! It's way up in the Poconos about a two hour drive from here!
|
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 810
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:04 pm: | |
Darn - that's where I went wrong! ;-) |
Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 5618
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:30 pm: | |
If you are registering for Clinton Elementary then you waited til the last minute and, as my son repeatedly reminds me..."You get what you get and you don't get upset".
Hope you get the choice you want, Am or Pm. |
doulamomma
Citizen
Username: Doulamomma
Post Number: 812
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 4:44 pm: | |
word to live by, little duncan! |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2670
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:07 pm: | |
Yup, I know that "you get what you get and you don't get upset." Was registering for Seth Boyden, as this is the week to do that.
And PA is an abbreviation for Parking Authority--as there wouldn't have been nearly enough room to type it out in the title of my thread.
And, yes, doula, you get the idea. Had it been just me out in the pouring rain I could have walked all the way from my house to the BOE and not thought twice about it. It's when you add small children in to the mix that it starts to get to be a real PIA! |
ffof
Citizen
Username: Ffof
Post Number: 4367
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:13 pm: | |
I think that your gripe is reasonable meand. HOnestly, I bet they don't even realize the issue. There is a BOE meeting on Monday night. A presentatoin of the problem with solution (I like the parking pass idea) could be the waY TO GO. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 6572
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:17 pm: | |
Here's a radical thought:
For occassions where it is a one-day, limited time thing, why doesn't the BOE arrange to do it offsite? Like at the Women's Club, where there is parking?
How hard can it be to send a couple employees over to register people for a couple hours? |
Joe
Citizen
Username: Gonets
Post Number: 1127
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:17 pm: | |
I don't doubt it's a PIA, but I think the congestion around the area means that we're stuck with the situation. Providing some sort of waiver for the week (as doulamamma suggested) wouldn't solve the problem, because that wouldn't really create any new spaces. They wouldn't give you a waiver to park in areas that aren't legal such as handicapped spots or on the other side of the street.
Really the best thing that they could do is eliminate the need to show up in person. That seems like an unnecessary hassle, but then again there might be a good reason for that to. |
ffof
Citizen
Username: Ffof
Post Number: 4369
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:24 pm: | |
DOing it in person is a MUST! They need current bills etc and don't want to have to send them back to you. |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2672
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 5:31 pm: | |
Well, Foff, I called them on my cell phone as I was driving around in circles, to see if maybe they had any suggestions. The woman said no matter how many times she asks the town to do something about it, nothing is ever done. So I think they are aware.
Honestly, I think if Beach Street were 30 minute or one hour parking during the day (sort of like the parking downtown), I think that would help quite a bit. As it stands now you can only park there between 11 and 1. I understand they're trying to cut down on parking congestion on the streets around the school, but they're making it nearly impossible for folks to park.
Or maybe they just make the hours for registration from 11 to 1 as well (rather than 9:45 to 12:30). But that still doesn't solve the problem for other folks who need to do business at the BOE at other times of the day.
I totally agree with Doula, who said it well, "I also think the community being served by the BOE needs parking too." |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3042
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 3:46 pm: | |
During these special registration weeks, at least, they ought to have later hours one evening per week for this purpose. It might well help the parking situation and it definitely would help ease the burden for 2-working-parent families. |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1291
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 5:25 pm: | |
Evening hours would only be a limited help, since the first-come first-considered policy for AM kindergarden means that most of the 2-parent families are all there at the same time on Monday morning! |
crabby
Citizen
Username: Crabbyappleton
Post Number: 429
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 6:43 pm: | |
The SOLUTION then is to go to a Township COmmitte meeting since they are the ones who put up the parking signs. |
Duncan
Supporter
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 5643
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 11:09 pm: | |
Sorry you had trouble parking meand. Isn't nice we only have to register for Kindergarden once.
If you like pina coladas
and getting caught in the rain
think the kindergarden process
Is a big bloody pain
Good luck to all who registered. Inane that we have to wait until July to know. |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 1293
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 11:38 pm: | |
Oops...obviously I meant 2-working-outside-the-home parent families (and single employed parents too, as well as anyone else petitioning for AM kindergarden). |
Meandtheboys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 2697
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 6:50 am: | |
Yes, Duncan, it is nice we only have to register once. But I have 3 kids! 
So, I get to do it one more time! I'll just have to be sure to remember not to go before 11:00. Although there's a very good chance that little detail will have slipped my mind 2 years from now!
Cute little ditty, BTW. |
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