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RANDOLPH – The Randolph City Council voted to close more street parking near the Cardinal Kids Learning Center due to concerns from a semi-truck driver who lives nearby.
Gary Dominisse spoke during the public comment part of the Aug. 8 council meeting, saying he is concerned about egress for his commercial semi truck and trailer he drives for work.
His normal route is to turn right onto East Jackson Street from Mc-Neal Street and then make another right onto North Bridge Street from East Jackson Street on his way to work, leaving at about 7:30 a.m. every day and returning to Randolph in the afternoons daily.
Dominisse’s return route is usually Highway 20 to North Bridge Street to McNeal Street, unless the semi truck needs maintenance, then he needs to enter his property via East Jackson Street to McNeal Street and nose into the driveway.
Cardinal Kids board member Kayla Korth read a report from the learning center, detailing the twomonth background on the parking issue on East Jackson Street starting back on June 16. She also said Cardinal Kids has tripled enrollment in the last two years, now with 109 children enrolled, which has increased the number of employees to 29, six of whom have small children they carry in daily.
There is a need for all employees to park close to work. At any given time, a minimum of 15 parking spaces is needed for employees on duty, Korth said.
The current availability for parking in front of Cardinal Kids on the south side of East Jackson Street is about nine spaces allowed per city code.
Dominisse asked for learning center employees to park farther east on East Jackson Street. This area has approximately five parking spaces – much less than what is needed. This location is also about 40 feet farther downhill from Cardinal Kids and not ideal for carrying children to the learning center or walking in inclement weather.
Tom Guenther, Randolph, said he’s concerned about parked vehicles blocking driveways and not being able to park personal vehicles in front of his properties on East Jackson Street.
Randolph City Administrator/ Clerk Ben Benton suggested Dominisse take the alternative route left onto East Jackson Street to leave, travel east on gravel to 560th Avenue and then turn north to Highway 20 but Dominisse said McNeal Street is too narrow to make a left turn with mailboxes in the way.
Another solution would be to widen McNeal Street 27 feet at the East Jackson Street intersection and moving the affected mailboxes, Benton said.
The council had previously discussed widening East Jackson to the south to maintain the maximum number of parking spaces and egress for semi-truck traffic in front of Cardinal Kids, said Council President Ted Stubbs. Councilwoman Janelle Biernbaum also expressed support for considering a street-widening project.
Kurt Focken, Randolph, said parking restrictions in the 300 block of North Bridge Street were created to improve child safety. He urged the council to consider child safety when making changes in the 600 block of East Jackson.
Focken said Dominisse could bring the truck part in for repairs and park the trailer elsewhere, or perform the maintenance where the truck owner is located. In this instance, the truck company is located in a nearby community.
Cardinal Kids Board President Lucas Miller said the learning center had agreed on a compromise to reduce parking on East Jackson until a more permanent solution can be found. According to the agreement, there would be no parking about 60 feet east of North Bridge Street on East Jackson Street and about one car length west of Guenther’s twocar driveway.
City employees began painting curbs and pedestrian crosswalks, and installing signage Monday, three days before school starts for the 2023-24 academic year.
Benton will be gathering an estimate to widen East Jackson Street for budgetary consideration at an upcoming meeting.
