The Town of Franklin’s regular August meeting had two major items for discussion, both concerning parking around the Pendleton County Courthouse.
Tim Thompson, a deputy with the Pendleton County Sheriff’s department, came with a request for at least three dedicated, law enforcement only, parking spaces on Chestnut Street.
Currently, as Thompson stated, when “we have the inmate van, it has to park in the parking lot.” He stated that both the sheriff’s department and state corrections officials worry that the walk from the parking lot into the Courthouse allows for too much exposure. Thompson explained that sometimes the van brings those accused of serious crimes, including murder in for court purposes.
“We try to keep them away from the public for their safety, the public’s safety, and our safety,” Thompson explained, adding that one could foresee a scenario in which a victim’s family could cause problems. Also “the lot is so packed,” creating issues as well.
Thompson added that the town could probably identify six to seven spaces on Chestnut Street to mark off and requested at least three, four at the most. Should the town eliminate parking in front of the courthouse on Main Street, he said that parking on Chestnut Street would get even more difficult.
On Chestnut Street, the courthouse has a ramp that goes to a holding area for prisoners. That ramp provides minimum public exposure as well.
Frank Wehrle, Town of Franklin administrator, stated that the town could start measuring off spaces on Chestnut Street upon completion of paving there. Unlike some streets in Franklin, the town owns Chestnut “wholly” and does not need to consult with the West Virginia Department of Highways.
Bob Horan, Franklin’s mayor, stated, “I suggest we table this until we know what parking is available.” Wehrle said, “Hopefully by next month, we’ll know.”
Next came discussion on the proposed Ordinance 132 “to prohibit parking on both the west and east sides of Route 220/S. Main Street from the intersection of Walnut Street to the intersection of Chestnut Street.”
Impetus for this had come from citizen concerns earlier in the year about visibility for vehicles turning onto South Main Street from Walnut Street. Parked cars hinder lines of sight, especially from the courthouse going south.
Wehrle reported to council that Jared VanMeter, executive director of the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce, expressed concerns about the loss of parking.
Jeff and Victoria Rhodes, owners of a business and home adjacent to the area, agreed with concerns of safety. They, however, stated that the problem lay not as much with lines of sight as the speed of vehicles coming into the southern end of town on US 220.
“If it’s not 12, it’s two dozen air braking trucks” per day, said Jeff Rhodes, who added that if trucks do that “they don’t go slow.” He suggested that the speed limit get stepped down to 40 prior to entering the town’s 25 mile per hour limit and that law enforcement increase their presence there.
He also made the case for keeping the parking spots free on Main Street, especially if the sheriff’s department gets dedicated parking on Chestnut Street. He explained that some businesses there would find it difficult to serve their customers without parking in those spots, especially those with less mobility.
“There is a serious impact,” said Victoria Rhodes. “We need to consider those affected businesses.”
Thompson agreed with the Rhodeses, saying, “They are correct. People fly when they come into town. When they hit that 25, they are still going 40.” He added that the north end of town on US 220 has the same problem with cars ignoring the step down speed and still coming into town too fast, but that carving out a 40 mph zone south of town could help.
Bruce Minor, town recorder, suggested that the town could emulate what the Virginia Department of Transportation did with construction at the US 33 and Interstate 81 interchange. Virginia used speed cameras that took snapshots of license plates. Thompson stated, “That would be great.” He shared that those tagged would receive a $100 fine, but no criminal penalties, such as points on a license.
Thompson added that the sheriff’s department cannot enforce in town and that a traffic camera could be very effective. He added that if Franklin established a town police department, “you could write a lot of tickets.” Town officials had discussed this in recent years and passed on the idea due to the cost of establishing a department.
Horan then said, “We need to research what we can do. It will be under the control of the state road. We’ll work with them any way we can.” He said to members of the public who came to add input that “I appreciate your comments and we’ll table the issue at this point.”
He went on to say, “I like the idea for the cameras” and noted that if a person gets enough tickets, it will change behavior.
Jared Rawson, council member, said that changing the speed will help, but won’t address the issue of lines of sight at the Walnut and Main intersection. Discussion included suggestions of making the area a “compact car only” location since most of the issues come from parked vans and pickup trucks.
