Resident raises safety complaints about Air Street parking and truck traffic; city previewed paving bids and spring plans

At the start of the meeting a resident, Alan Rubel, described “an unbearable situation” on Air Street where parked cars associated with a nearby school and truck traffic through a neighborhood create blocked driveways, poor sight lines and frequent police calls. “I've called the police myself over 20 times in the last year,” Rubel said, describing cones temporarily placed to prevent parking directly in front of his driveway.

Rubel told the council that potholes and heavy truck traffic on his street also cause noise and damage to vehicles. He asked the council to intervene on parking practices and to consider restricting parking or adding signage and markings to improve visibility and safety. Councilors and staff discussed coordination with the school district — councilors noted many vehicles may belong to students from the regional career center (CVCC) whose parking was reduced this year due to on‑site construction — and committed to follow up with law enforcement and district staff. Public Works Director Bridal Baker said curb and pavement markings are faded and scheduled for repainting in spring when temperatures allow.

City Manager Nicholas provided a broader pavement update: the city issued paving bids for the upcoming construction season; proposed paving projects scheduled to start after July 1 include Prospect, Allen and Berlin streets. Bids are due April 3 and staff hoped to present an award to council at the April 8 meeting. He also said Merchants Rail work, the last component of last year's paving program, will be completed before July 1 and discussed a strategy of paving long contiguous street sections to secure better contractor pricing.

Councilors asked whether sidewalks or crosswalks could be included on Allen Street; staff said sidewalks and crosswalks were not in the current paving contract but that signage and smaller improvements might be added to spring plans.

What residents should expect: staff said repainting of faded pavement markings will occur in spring weather, pothole repairs will be prioritized when hot‑mix asphalt becomes available, and the city will pursue the bundled paving strategy that should deliver multiple street repairs after July 1. Council staff agreed to follow up with the resident and the school district about parking and suggested convening a traffic discussion with relevant agencies.