Parking problem in Lawrence?

The Village of Lawrence has found a solution to the current parking problem at and around Lawrence Middle School — but school officials were not entirely satisfied with it.

To avoid parking tickets, the village has agreed to sell residential parking permits to Lawrence Middle School teachers and staff members, which will allow them to park in the Lawrence train station parking lot for $40 a year.

Village officials said that was the best option they could provide. “We have to deal with the people who live on the street,” said Lawrence Mayor C. Simon Felder, at the Sept. 10 village trustees meeting. “They get upset if cars are parked there for five to seven hours.”

Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons and Lawrence Middle School Principal George Akst said at the meeting that under current regulations, teachers who park on Broadway near the school are subjected to ticketing from the village. The pair requested that the village suspend ticketing on Broadway for teachers and faculty members. There is a two-hour limit currently in place at that stretch of road. The school officials said it needs about 20 to 30 extra spots because of the addition of the fifth grade to the middle school.

“All we’re asking is that for 180 days, seven hours a day, for parking on the south side of Broadway,” Fitzsimons said. He added that the school board has kept tax rates flat and cut the budget by four percent during his tenure. “This is the first time I’ve asked for something in seven years.”

For now, the teachers parking on Broadway haven’t received tickets. “We’ll see how long that will last,” Akst said. “I haven’t heard any complaints from the community yet.”

Village trustee Michael Fragin, who proposed the motion to allow school employees to park at the train station, said the village is making a significant accommodation by allowing non-residents to park in that lot. “There are some extra spots there,” Fragin said. “They have some demand, we have some supply. I hope everyone can be happy there.”