Selectmen Approve Parking Restriction

At the request of the local and chiefs, the town's Board of Selectmen approved a new "no parking tow zone" at the end of Chestnut Street near Millie's Red Steps.

At their meeting at Thursday night, Police Chief Robert Picariello and Fire Chief Jason Gilliland appeared before the board to request that a section at the rear of the roadway, near Cliff Street, be deemed a permanent no parking zone.

"We worry that there will be an issue with plowing and with apparatus getting around the corner there if there's an emergency," Picariello said. "We feel that this has become a public safety issue."

Before the board voted on the parking restriction, Selectman Harry C. Christensen Jr., who voted against the measure, questioned whether or not the no parking zone was necessary.

"Why did this come up all of a sudden? I've been here for 65 years and there's never been a problem there. I don't understand," Christensen said, adding, "I've been fishing there since I was a kid."

In response, Picariello noted that in the past, parking was mostly limited to a small area near and residents have been moving farther and farther down toward Cliff Street over the last few years.

"This has been a 'pushing the envelope' kind of situation," Picariello said, adding that parking will still be allowed on either side of the no parking zone.

The motion, which passed 4-1 after a brief discussion, prompted the town's Highway Department to install a row of "no parking tow zone" signs on Friday.

By Saturday morning, a vehicle parked in the restricted area had already been ticketed by local police.