CCP 11-08-1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~,a.j l Newport bin,go hall plan hi,t~ .' te-- to l.. snag with its traffic proposal L01/; . By Judy Spooner code. ~ I''''' Staff Writer There will be.lraffic conjestion at arrival and depar. ture times. suid Carlson. A special meeting is expected 10 be held this week by To' avoid "staCking" at Glen Road, "where there is the Newport City Council 10 approve a uaffic plan for a already a problem," it was suggested at the planning bingo hall that's expected to open in January, " commission meeting thatuaffic could be directed north The bingo hall will be located in the fonner site of . from High Street. Cars could go north on Highway 61 Fisher Foods, which is going out of business infiewport . from High SlICet or go north 10 21st Street 10 turn south Center. . ,. ,,,' on Highway 61. ' The special meeting was also to include naming the This would. be done with the anendants directing Newport Athletic Association as a non-profit orglllliza- traffic. There is also a plan to have an off-duty police. tion and approve them as charitable benefactors of some officer at the bingo operation. Carlson said. of lhc bingo sessions. .. Sawyer soid the three city intersections ontO Highway However, the council changed its mind and decided to 61 are already difficult for residents to drive through. A approve lhe request by the athletic ass~iation at last . Sugll!'stion 10 direct uaflic to the north would work, he week'S meeting, even though it was not an official agen- said, if drivers were "lemmings," and would follow each . da itrm. ,_" _,' ,: . -: ". other. He snid they would also go through the Super- /'_ The operation will have seven sessions of bingo Oi America parking lot. . week for the Turner's Auxiliary. It's expected that Tor-! "Most people won't go one.half mile north to go ner's Gymnastics. the parent orgamzal1on. Will add. south," said Sawyer. ._ scvcn scss~ons in April:wh~ICi!':ir ICas.....IS up at the Pot I . He said he was n".~'!Y!~g ~()::~~~_",.ct blanket" o~ the ,~O_Qgld 10 Arden Hills, _ - _I. bmgohiilf,DutS31dtriifficdlrectlOnwouldPuta"Senous , The gymnaSUcs school is located in McndotaHeights. . burden" on the' deparunent's manpower. ,J The council originally approved the license applica. Citizens who arc not police officers are not authorized tion for the bingo hall with the stipulation that a parking to direct traffic. he said. ." and traffic plan be submitted 10 the council for approval Council member Basil Loveland said the. session, at a later time. - times would }lot coincide with "gridlock" at11lSh hour. . At last week's meeting. the council approved the . . Patterson said SuperAmerica modified its site plan. at . parking plan. but said an acceptable traffic pian had an: .its own expense. at lhe inlersection of Glen Road and been submiued. . 'Hastings Avenue, knowing that it might be three years Bill Beard. represcnting Tu..".r', 'IUd Dave and Mary . before any traffic improvement project could' be done.: North, owners of Newport Center, said he thought he . Carlson said SuperAmerica doesn't add traffic 10 the was submilling a plan. intersection !hat isn't already there uaveling)n and' Phil Carlson. Newport city planner. said the draw,ng through the., city. ,.' , submitted 10 the council was not a traffic plan. He said he Beard said people who come 10 the early evening ses- agreed with the suggestion by Gary Pallerson, city admi. sion typically stay for the next session as welL Tempor- nislrJtor, that. a traffic engineer. and Steve Sawyer, ary barricades would be placed at shoPping center exits police chief, be consulted. to direct traffic 10 the north._ Carlson said 38 parking spaces will be added 10 the Beard asked that the council approve the traffic plan existing parking, most of it in back of the shopping ceo.. and that two sessions of bingo that might add to rush. ter on land owned by the North's. hour traffic.. would be removed from the plan. Ninty.:wo parking spaces arc needed per session, he Sharon Marko. council member,' said she didn't said. A parking lot attendant will dircct bingo patrons 10 object 10th e. parking ps.-;x of the plan. \ park 111 back of lhe ccnlcr. ' . There are plans to pave the new spaces with asphalt, BI ngo . , :...Cr-' _I . 1 -r'-_ _nrV;~"" nl!1n confonns 10 the city. Continued on Page 4A Bjn gO. . . ,"We know wc can't solvc a1llhe traflic problcms.:- SOld Patterson. Continued from Page IA "But we don't have lO make it worse." said Marko. .' . Beard said $45,000 worth of paving needs to be done "Again, I raise the objection of not addressing the full and it was pUlting the project in peril if they had to wait plan," said Marko. . twO weeks until the next council meeting to get She said current tramC was al "critical mass" without approval. addmg more traffic, Fritz Knaak. city altOmey. said a "clever lawyer. and Beard saJd he left the planning commission meeting there are two or three out there." would sue the city, on a . lhmklng they had a lraflic plan. He SOld a delay III client's behalf. if there was an accident and city didn't approval could forcc them lO abandon the bingo hall have an approved traffic plan. project. Dave North said other businesses in town has come in "It's not ncw to uS lhat there is 'ltraffic problem," said' and they had not been trealed as the bingo project had Loveland. . been. He snid there was a lot of traffic when Fisher He asked if the problem was prejudice against bingo '. Foods was in business. an~,ir lhat was the reason obstacles were being "thrown' "We're concerned abeutlraffic," snid North. "If it's up:", '. ......._......b.cJ.p<;epje.won.tcomeback."... " . We ";,,ked,ror a par!,mg pl"I.'~?~d a traf~<;.~l~~.,",~d;;"".:;'c1:l~~~d,~~:aclion:;'l)r.rne~b,tY:foi;')c~ ,c!l.,!lq ~.c?n.; MLlI ko. .We re halfway there. -~w:~..',.t,\i~ "~' '-'.~ ..~'stru~.::as. ~u-~usmess.':'" .,~...".,.~:,,~;., '.i,- ','~ :. /:./ ,'~ ., ".;.' ;' 1'.\