Goldendale council hears hours of public comment on parking, sends East Collins options to Public Works

Goldendale City Council on Monday heard more than an hour of public testimony over proposed changes to parking and traffic controls on East Collins Street, then voted to send the matter to the city’s Public Works Committee for further study.

At a public hearing, dozens of residents described competing concerns: some said parked vehicles block sight lines and create safety risks at the Roosevelt/Collins intersection; others said removing parking would be an undue inconvenience for residents, visitors and people with disabilities who rely on curbside access. Councilmember Andy Hall said he was not in favor of removing parking from the street. “I don’t agree with taking the parking away,” Hall said. He proposed instead adding a four‑way stop and discussed a time‑of‑day restriction on the north side, such as “no parking from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” to reduce daytime employee parking.

Residents who testified included Louis E. Ikenes of 809 East Collins Drive, who opened the hearing by asking why the change was being proposed. Rosie Luna of 730 East Holmes Street asked whether hospital employees could be encouraged to use the hospital parking lot instead of on‑street spaces. “Has the hospital asked their employees to use their parking?” Luna asked. Several other residents, including Todd (who gave a Collins Street address) and Mark Saint Francis of 708 East Collins, described heavy use of the street by hospital visitors and staff and concerns about line‑of‑sight near the intersection. Mark Saint Francis warned a new stop could increase truck noise because large vehicles often use their engine brakes coming down the hill.

Other speakers proposed a residential permit zone similar to the system used near Central Washington College, where permits and tow enforcement were used to clear student parking from neighborhood streets. A few residents urged more speed enforcement or reinstallation of the electronic speed reader signs removed earlier; Councilmember Lauren (not present at roll call but later remarked on sign replacements) said staff had asked for new school‑zone reader boards and that the council would consider that in budgeting.

Council discussion reiterated competing priorities: safety, sight lines and the burden of removing on‑street parking for a small number of households. Councilmember Ellie Casey said the public hearing was intended to gather input and not to conclude the matter that night. Casey moved—and the council seconded and approved—a motion to refer the East Collins parking and traffic proposals, with the public comments received, to the Public Works Committee for additional review and recommended solutions.

The council recorded the motion as carried and directed staff to include solicited input from the hospital about employee parking and any feasible administrative remedies, while noting that public parking spaces are available to any member of the public and that limiting them to a particular employer would require a different enforcement approach.

The Public Works Committee will reconvene with councilmembers and relevant staff to consider options including a four‑way stop at Roosevelt and Collins, time‑restricted parking on the north side, residential permit parking, enforcement of existing parking limits near driveways and crosswalks, and reinstallation or replacement of electronic speed signs. The council said it will bring committee recommendations back to a future council meeting.