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Church asks council for parking and safety accommodations; resident defends city manager against online petition
Summary
An Episcopal Church representative urged the council to preserve accessible parking and address safety for outreach activities along North Walnut Street; separately a resident, Erin Dye, denounced an anonymous online petition she said contained false, harmful claims about the city manager.
During the Jan. 12 public comment periods, two community members raised concerns about separate community issues.
Ethan McDonald, registered agent for the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, told council that planned downtown redevelopment on North Walnut Street initially appeared to remove the church’s curb cuts and two accessible spaces. He asked whether the city would maintain winter snow removal for those spaces and raised safety concerns for congregants using mobility equipment. McDonald said he had discussed alternatives with staff — including rotating spaces 90 degrees or narrowing a curb to preserve a single driveway — and that the church is willing to work with city engineers to find solutions.
Later in the meeting Erin Dye of 316 Cutler Street urged council to reject an anonymous online petition she said targeted the city manager with lies and called on residents to correct misinformation when they see it. Dye said the petition named only some council members, omitted others and lacked verified signatures; she described the petition as an attempt to cause harm to the manager and to the community.
City staff told the church representative they would continue to work with the parish and engineers on design and maintenance questions. The council received both comments during public comment periods; no council action was taken at the time beyond staff follow‑up.
