Grove City resident tells council limited accessible parking and road closures make events hard to attend

Shannon Seidlinger told the Grove City Council that arranging accessible parking for community events remains difficult for families when road closures and small designated lots prevent access.

Seidlinger, who gave her address for the record as 2040 Bellflower Court, said her oldest son, James, was diagnosed in infancy with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and is “completely care dependent.” She described trying to use a newly designated accessible parking lot during Arts in the Alley but finding it inaccessible because Broadway had been closed from Grove City Road to Southwest Boulevard roughly an hour and a half before the parade. "When I went to locate the new lot and make a plan, I quickly realized that I would need to make a loop around the block via Broadway and Columbus Street. Couldn't do that," she said.

Seidlinger told council the designated lot contained six accessible spaces configured for parallel parking, which presented logistical problems for her side-entry ramp, and said she and her son ultimately found a single accessible spot at Park Street Intermediate after a respiratory emergency required her to stop during the trip downtown. "In the long run we made it work, but it should not have been this difficult to do," she said.

Council members and staff responded by asking who should follow up. The presiding officer asked for the staff contact; Mayor Stage offered to connect Seidlinger with Mr. Bozzo and the mayor’s office, and identified Safety Director Kevin Tiefer as another appropriate contact seated in the room. Seidlinger said she would welcome further conversation and that she would likely return to discuss other accessibility issues at future meetings.

No formal action was taken; staff indicated they would follow up directly with Seidlinger on event planning and accessible parking logistics.