Resident says school causes parking woes
Parking limits, one-way street impact neighbors
BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH - - A Monmouth Avenue resident is asking the Long Branch School District to find a solution to what has become a parking problem in her neighborhood after a new school was constructed on her street.

The new state-of-the-art Gregory Elementary School was constructed on a 7- acre tract on Monmouth Avenue, and with its opening this school year came new parking restrictions on the roadway, according to Otilia M. Silva.

"It is a beautiful school," Silva said this week. "However, we have a problem. Since they opened the school, the parking situation here has been getting extreme."

The site of the new school was once occupied by residential housing, and the street was also a two-way roadway with parking on both sides, according to Silva.

When the school was constructed, the houses were razed, the width of the street was reduced, and the roadway was changed to a one-way street, Silva said, adding that parking is prohibited on the school's side of the street.

There are approximately 15 households in addition to the school property on the street, according to Silva.

"I have three cars in my household," Silva said. "I do have a driveway and a garage and I can only fit two cars there. Most of my neighbors have two or three cars, and some of them don't have a garage or a driveway.

"There is not enough parking now for all of us," she said.

Silva sent an e-mail to Long Branch Superintendent of Schools Joseph M. Ferraina to address her concerns about the new parking pattern and to ask for help.

She said she is hoping the school will allow her one parking spot on the schoolside of the road.

Ferraina confirmed last week that parking is not allowed on the school side of Monmouth Avenue from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to allow for school staff parking.

"We opened a facility that required certain parking," Ferraina said. "What we have done with working with the city is to allow people to park there during non-operational hours.

"We try to work with the neighbors. We are looking at the safety of the children and parking for our teachers, but we will look into it," he said.

"There is nothing planned right now to allow parking during operational hours," Ferraina added. "If moving the hours will help, we will try to be flexible and work with her."

Silva said in the e-mail to Ferraina that only being permitted to park on the school side of the street from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. is not an option for her.

"We have no choice," Silva said. "I will not get up at 5 or 6 a.m. to move my cars around in order to find parking on my street."

The opening of the new school has also caused another parking problem, Silva added.

"Now, when people are picking up their kids from school, they block our driveways," Silva said. "The new oneway [traffic pattern] is already making me go around the block in order to get to my house, but I can deal with that.

"It is the parking that really bothers me. I have been getting up early to swap cars and I have had to park blocks away from my home. And now I have to ask people waiting for their kids to move their cars just so I can use my driveway."

"We try to balance everything," Ferraina said. "We want to be good neighbors. We have to come up with a plan on how we can live comfortably together."

Silva said she parked on the school side of the street during school hours one day because there were no other options on the roadway.

"I thought they were going to ticket me," she said. "There is no sign that says no parking. I just got a piece of paper on my car that said no parking on this side of the street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"My neighbor got one too. I don't even know who wrote the note," she said.

Ferraina said he will talk to Silva, but he will do what is in the best interests of the school, the students and staff.

"This is a school," he said. "It was built at that location. [Silva] is the only resident that has contacted me. We will talk to her and see if we can make her happy."

Silva added that she hopes she can reach an agreement with the school system.

"The school is nice," Silva said. "There is now a lot more lighting in the neighborhood and it makes me feel safer. It is the parking that's getting out of hand."