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Committee approves extending no-parking zone on north side of 800 block of Sherman Street after resident safety plea
Summary
The Wausau Infrastructure and Facilities Committee voted to advance a request to extend no-parking restrictions on the north side of the 800 block of Sherman Street after a resident described safety risks for her son with a visual impairment and seizures. The committee will send the change to the full council for final action on May 27.
The Wausau Infrastructure and Facilities Committee voted May 8 to advance an extension of the no-parking zone on the north side of the 800 block of Sherman Street after a nearby resident described repeated safety incidents affecting her family.
Tanya Vanslate, who identified herself at the meeting as the resident at 810 Sherman Street, told the committee her 6-year-old son has tuberous sclerosis, is blind in one eye, has daily seizures and “wanders” during episodes. Vanslate said vehicles frequently park directly in front of her house and across from it, obstructing sightlines and forcing buses and other vehicles to brake hard. She asked the city to install a permanent no-parking designation on the block to reduce risks to her son and her other children.
The request drew brief discussion from aldermembers who said existing no-parking signage already covers much of Sherman Street and that extending the restriction one block on the north side would be a modest change. Alder Larson moved to extend no-parking up to the corner of Ninth and Sherman on the north side; Alder Watson seconded. The committee approved the motion by voice vote and directed staff to forward the item to the full Common Council for final action at its May 27 meeting. If the council adopts the change, the city will install signs afterward.
Council staff and committee members noted the change would apply only to the north side of the block so it would not remove parking on the entire street. Vanslate said she had previously placed temporary “no parking” signs that were removed and discarded by others, and that she wanted a permanent sign because of her son’s visual impairment and seizure-related wandering. Committee members suggested enforcement and permanent signs would be a better long-term solution than homeowner-placed signs.
The committee did not cite a specific ordinance number at the meeting; staff characterized the action as an amendment to existing no-parking coverage on the 800 block of Sherman Street and said it would be formalized for council consideration. The committee recorded no roll-call tally during the discussion; the motion passed by voice vote and will return to council on May 27 for final adoption and sign installation.
