(3/15) Commissioner Bill Blakeslee and Economic Development Manager Vickie Grinder presented a proposal for additional parking in downtown Thurmont. Their plan is to build a parking lot in the grassy area next to the American Legion Post 168.
The Council agreed the plan was worth looking into and voted for CAO Jim Humerick and his team to begin researching costs and gathering estimates.
The idea came up about a year ago, after Blakeslee and Grinder heard a lot of talk about the lack of parking downtown. According to Blakeslee, there are currently about 54 spaces and 5 or 6 handicap spaces in the Thurmont Municipal Parking Lot. "Everyday, people have to ride around looking for a parking space," Blakeslee said. "It isn’t good for businesses, it isn’t good for residents, it isn’t good for anything down there."
Grinder and Blakeslee considered multiple options and locations before landing on the grassy area next to the Legion. Instead of buying property for the new lot, the Legion will allow the Town use of it. While there is more work to be done, according to Blakeslee, the informal plan will allow the Legion to use the lot during their occasional events while also allowing Town residents to park on it. The new lot would have the same parking rules as the existing lot.
"It’s a project that shows thoughtfulness on the part of the Legion that they’ll allow us to propose it and go along with it," Blakeslee said. "It’s going to help them out so it’s a win-win situation." He went on to explain the Legion’s willingness to meet and discuss any issues that could potentially pop up as the project moves forward.
Debbie and Allen Middendorf were at the meeting, during which Debbie Middendorf explained that the Legion has already investigated the insurance issue that concerned the mayor and other commissioners. Since the property will still be owned by the Legion, all liability will be covered by their insurance.
The Town will be responsible for installing the lighting and typical maintenance of the parking lot. They are also responsible for shielding neighboring properties from the additional light, however, according to Grinder, they have already spoken to the neighbors who "think it’s a great idea."
Blakeslee and Grinder had already contacted Town Planner Kelly Duty for a proposed mock up of the potential parking lot. In it, they estimated they will be able to fit at least 40-50 parking spaces. However, Blakeslee and Grinder would be open to an engineer’s ideas for the best option once one is selected.
