Bridgeville council wants to prohibit parking along a narrow section of McMillen Street to create an emergency fire lane.
The borough’s fire chief, Raymond Costain, said the fire department has recently responded to calls in the 600 block of the brick road, which is near the Goodwill Villa apartment complex, which has its own parking lot.
The ordinance would create an emergency fire lane in a 50-foot area across from the apartment complex.
The street already prohibits parking along the north side, adjacent to the apartment complex.
The 50-foot section would be located between 616 and 642 McMillen Street, affecting up to three parking spaces, said manager Joe Kauer.
“Currently when vehicles are parking in this 50’ section on the south side of the street, larger emergency vehicles such as ladder trucks, cannot or have extreme difficulty accessing the main entrance to Goodwill Villa,” Kauer said in an email.
Costain was not immediately available to comment. However, addressing council members during their regular meeting on Jan. 11, he mentioned two calls coming out of the apartment complex. Kauer said those calls were both placed in late 2020 from Goodwill Villa.
“Most recently, there was a call on a structure fire,” Costain said. “With the vehicles being parked right there we cannot make the swing into the building there quickly without going up over the curbs and running the risk of hitting a car parked there.”
He said the move would only result in one parking spot being lost.
Councilwoman Virginia Schneider, who lives in the area, said she supports the ordinance but wanted to make sure people who park there do not lose a spot to park.
Councilman Nino Petrocelli suggested temporarily prohibiting parking in the section Costain has suggested in order to buy time for Public Safety to investigate the request.
“I think Nino’s idea of doing a temporary — block it now in case there is a fire. But go through public safety and at least notify the residents in the buildings and in the area that they’re going to have find alternative places to park,” Schneider said.
Kauer said the motion on the Jan. 11 agenda was only to authorize the solicitor to draft an ordinance.
“That takes a month. And then if we come back next month it’d be to advertise (the ordinance), that takes another month. So we’re two or three months out. It takes time,” he said.
Council members agreed to temporarily suspend parking along the section while the ordinance is drafted, investigated and voted upon.
