Select Board weighs temporary parking closure, pilot police measures to ease school drop-off at Anti‑Gravity Center

The Carrabassett Valley Select Board on Sept. 23 discussed options to reduce congestion during morning student drop‑off at the Anti‑Gravity Center (AGC) parking lot, focusing on a School Committee proposal to close the lot to non‑parent traffic from 7:20 to 7:30 a.m.

Town Manager Garrett Corbin presented seven options for managing traffic; the board and attendees concentrated on the School Committee’s proposal to restrict the lot during that 10‑minute window. CV Police Chief Mark Lopez suggested using the Hugs parking lot as an alternate staging area and raised the possibility that altering the bus schedule so the bus arrives after students are assembled could reduce congestion. Corbin asked whether a short trial of repositioning the cruiser and using its lights would be helpful.

Deirdre Frey, who was unable to attend, sent a memo recommending “the officer standing outside the cruiser rather than sitting in it” to increase visibility during drop‑off. Some participants cautioned that turning on cruiser lights could alarm passersby who might assume there was an emergency; the board agreed to test cruiser positioning and lights before committing to a parking restriction.

Library board member Tim Flight urged coordination among the Library, the Western Mountain Community Fund Council (WMCFC), Carrabassett Valley and the AGC and suggested consulting town engineer Jeff Aceto about layout options. The board’s next step is to pilot the cruiser repositioning and lights and then revisit the idea of a temporary parking closure based on observed effects.