Letter to the Editor: Public Meets to Discuss Proposed Deer Harbor Parking

— from Terry Neill —

The Jan. 13 meeting concerning the Deer Harbor parking plan was attended by about 70 people in addition to Councilman Rick Hughes, County Engineer Colin Huntemer and half a dozen other county employees. As the meeting opened there were handouts on each chair containing the agenda and maps and photos of the proposed project and its location. Rick Hughes gave a brief presentation explaining that he had initiated this project with a view to improving parking in Deer Harbor and mentioned that it was in fact a renewal and enlargement of a plan that had been rejected by the residents of Deer Harbor in 2009.

Colin Huntemer was then given the floor and proceeded to outline the scope of the project and its virtues as seen by County officials. He didn’t go into the details of the actual construction, although they were in the handouts and on several easels in the room. Emphasis was given to the fact that funding was available but if the project was rejected by the residents then the funds would be used elsewhere in the County. The floor was then opened to questions and comments from the public.

An impassioned statement was made by Deer Harbor property owner John Chamberlain, whose property would be most affected by the project, centering on the fact that the county road as built is not on the right-of-way and that the surveyed and adopted right-of-way is actually located to the east of the road. The proposed project intends to use both the road as it is and the right-of-way, thus occupying a swath of land 40 to 68 feet wide from the top of Jack and Jill Hill south to the County road. He views this action as a ‘taking’ of his property, hence illegal, and he vowed to take legal action if the project goes ahead.

Several other residents whose property would be directly affected also pointed out that the project would be unnecessary if the illegally parked vehicles were removed. The County officials stated that this would require that a parking ordinance be enacted and that this would occur to provide legal limits on the new parking lot, if it went ahead. It was pointed out by others that such an ordinance, if enacted, would probably eliminate the need for the project.

A non-binding vote was held at the end of the meeting and my recollection is that 29 voted to reject the proposal and 37 voted to accept it. Those residents directly affected by the proposed parking plan were in opposition. Also it should be pointed out that many of those attending and voting actually live outside the Hamlet.

In my personal opinion the fact that the project, which would join the south end of Upper Deer Harbor Road to the County Road at the south end of the Hamlet, would in fact exacerbate the traffic problems by creating a one-way bypass of the core of the hamlet along what is already a dangerously narrow north end of Upper Deer Harbor Road.