City Council eyes options, including a possible ban
Complaints about students parking in the residential area near Hobart High School are spurring the Hobart City Council to consider a ban on student street parking.
Michael Herman, who lives on Duck Creek Court, said students began parking on that street instead of the school parking lot about a year or two ago. They leave litter in his yard, leak oil on the ground and affect snowplow and garbage pickup plus mail delivery, he said.
“There are tire marks on my lawn, and my wife and I have spent hours cleaning cigarette butts off our lawn,” Herman said.
By not using the school lot, students don’t have to pay for a permit and aren’t subject to certain actions, including being tested for drugs, he said.
It also was noted that students might be parking on streets because they had their student parking permit taken away.
Herman said he’s approached officials at the School City of Hobart, who said their actions are limited.
But City Attorney Anthony DeBonis said the school city has much more authority over student behavior than the city does.
“I don’t understand why they can’t enforce the students’ needing to park in the school lot. They’re creating a public nuisance,” DeBonis said.
Councilman Dave Vinzant, D-4th, said the schools might be able to make it more attractive for students to park in the lot, such as lowering the permit fee.
“Perhaps we can have several days of a police officer walking the neighborhood with a drug-sniffing dog,” Vinzant said.
Mayor Brian Snedecor suggested signs be posted on the street indicating no student parking would be allowed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. If the rule is enforced a few times, with students fined and/or their car is towed, it could make a difference, he said.
“Once the police run a (license) plate, they can tell if the car belongs to a student or someone else,” said Councilman Lino Maggio, D-3rd.
Police Chief Rick Zormier said the signs would need to be put in the entire neighborhood around the school on 10th Street, not just the one street.
“Or they’ll just move to another area,” Zormier said.
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