Board asks village engineer to study Main Street handicap parking options

A councilor said many senior residents have asked for more accessible parking on Main Street and urged the village to explore placing handicap spaces at block ends near physical-therapy businesses to improve access.

Administrator Chris Lorac said village engineer Bruce must assess whether the existing streetscape can accommodate accessible ramps in parallel parking. He warned that adding ramps could require tearing out curbs and decorative sidewalks, removing planters and signs, and could reduce the number of on-street spaces. "But because we cannot provide the space that they require, there's an exception that allows you to use the space that's already there, but you have to build a ramp either in front of or behind that designated parking spot," Lorac said.

Staff described dimensional constraints, noting a reference in the discussion that if a 13-foot width is not available and only a 9-foot width exists, an accessible configuration might require a 24-foot length. Board members asked staff to have Bruce prepare plans for a committee meeting to show what would be required and the likely parking impacts. No final decision or funding commitment was made; the next step is a feasibility study and engineered plans.