Rome council clarifies downtown 2-hour parking, confirms $2M paving program and outlines parks master plan outreach

Residents at the July 9 Rome Common Council meeting criticized downtown parking rules and asked whether the city still operates a dedicated street-repair program. City officials responded with enforcement details for the two-hour parking zone, confirmed a multi-year paving program awarded this year for about $2,000,000, and outlined an upcoming parks master-plan outreach.

Debbie Goddard, who gave her address as 183 West Dominic Street, told the council it is difficult for residents of downtown apartment buildings to comply with the two-hour parking rule. “It's really difficult in the summertime… I go back into my apartment, and I'm looking at the clock for 2 hours to move my car. And it's a it's a stressful kind of situation,” Goddard said, and described winter plowing problems when a vehicle was left several days and “it wasn't towed away, and they wouldn't plow.”

A city official identified in the transcript as Joe replied that the two-hour limit is “set for business reasons” and said the limit was intended to prioritize short-term spaces for customers in the business district. Joe said a prior agreement with the developer of Copper City Lofts provided roughly two dozen spaces in a former parking garage; when that garage was removed, those surface-lot spaces became the de facto resident parking area, but no on-Dominic-Street parking was ever approved specifically for Copper City Lofts residents. Joe said the city has arranged alternative spaces for some business owners in other lots, including the James Street/Liberty Street parking area.

Joe told the council the two-hour limit is enforced weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and that overnight restrictions run from Nov. 1 to April 1. When resident Dennis Perfetti asked about a paving program and sidewalk work, Joe said the city does have an annual dedicated street program and that this year’s paving contract was awarded to Dolomite for about $2,000,000; he said the program has been in place for more than three decades.

Separately, a council member providing a parks update said the city is beginning a parks, open-space and trails master-plan process; Fisher & Associates mailed more than 3,000 surveys randomly to residents and the city expects public meetings in September or October. The speaker said Rome has 23 parks and that officials may consider converting some tennis courts to pickleball courts; the speaker recommended soliciting input from park users, including children.

Votes at a glance: The council approved multiple routine resolutions and ordinances by voice vote during the meeting. Notable items recorded in the transcript include: - Resolution 99 (determining proposed demolition of privately owned buildings is a Type II action under SEQRA): carried. - Resolution 100 (create capital reserve funded by sale of fire department equipment): carried. - Resolution 101 (adding funds to Waterdam Reserve): carried. - Resolution 102 (amendment to agreement with New York State Unified Court System for cleaning services at Rome City Court through March 31, 2028): carried. - Resolution 103 (authorizing mayor to submit a 2025 New York State Consolidated Funding Application on behalf of Essentia for the Essentia Neighborhood Project): carried. Councilor Anderson spoke in support and noted cleared trees on Potter Road; the grant application will be municipally submitted on behalf of Essentia. - Resolution 104 (agreement with Madison-Oneida BOCES for unpaid internship; corrected term dates): carried as amended. - Ordinances 9808–9812 (including authorization to issue $850,000 bonds to finance demolition, sale/transfer of specified city parcels, and street closures for events): all carried by voice vote in the session. Ordinance 9807 (zoning amendment on short-term rentals) was amended and retabled for later consideration.

What was not in the transcript: The record does not show detailed counts of vote tallies, specific timelines for when paving work will occur on named streets, or a firm schedule and locations for the parks master-plan meetings beyond a projected September–October window.