Daytime parking banned in front of Memorial

There’s no more parking in front of Memorial Junior High School, at least not during the school day. The village board, at the request of the Valley Stream Central High School District, has eliminated parking there between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The parking restriction is on the west side of Fletcher Avenue between Hendrickson Avenue and Kent Road. It was done to prevent Central High School students from parking in front of Memorial.

This year, a new rule went into effect that prohibits student drivers from leaving with their cars from a high school parking lot during the school day. Many students have decided to circumvent this rule by parking on the streets.

“It created a situation where a lot of students from Central were parking in front of Memorial,” said interim Superintendent Dr. Richard Marsh.

Marsh said it created a safety hazard in front of Memorial, especially when parents were dropping off and picking up their children from the school. Also, he said, the lines of cars parked on Fletcher Avenue made it hard for drivers to see who were turning out of Kent Road. “We’re just trying to make it as safe as possible,” he said.

Memorial Junior High Principal Anthony Mignella said the problem was especially severe during the afternoon pick-up of students. Since the signs went up early last week, he’s noticed an improvement in front of the school in regards to traffic flow. “It’s definitely working,” he said. “From our point of view, it’s nice.”

Central High School junior Richie Ciullo disagreed with the parking restricting on Fletcher, saying it inhibits students who want to drive to school. He noted that Kent Road, where parking is allowed, fills up quickly. “How will the kids, whose only way of transportation is by driving, get to school then?” he asked.

Mignella said that students were typically parking in front of Memorial after all the spots on Kent Road were taken.

Village and school officials worked together on the plan to restrict parking on Fletcher. Marsh said the safety concern was brought to his attention, so he recommended the parking ban during school hours. The Board of Education agreed with him, and the request went to the village Board of Trustees for approval.