Planning board addresses parking in North Conway Village

Wants to see gravel area along North-South Road utilized, negotiations with Bergeron started

The planning board is asking selectmen to take steps to ensure adequate parking in North Conway Village.Board member Ted Sares raised the subject at last Thursday's meeting, saying he would like to see the town utilize the gravel area along North-South Road, east of the railroad tracks in the vicinity of North Conway Lumber, for parking. Sares estimated that the gravel area and surrounding grassy area might yield about 200 spaces.Chairman Connie Briggs said the property is owned by the state, but Conway Scenic Railroad is leasing the gravel lot and a concrete platform for possible future use. Briggs indicated that he has spoken with officials at Conway Scenic Railroad, and they would be "happy to have the public use that lot."Russ Seybold, owner of Conway Scenic Railroad, could not be reached Monday.Briggs also mentioned the existing public lot off Main Street, behind the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce information booth. The lot, which has approximately 70 spaces, is owned by H.E. Bergeron Engineers and, according to Briggs, is being leased by the town for $1 a year. The lease expires in 2006.Briggs said he has spoken with Ed Bergeron about the future use of the lot."He'd like to see it remain in the public's hands," Briggs said, "but $1 a year will not cut it."Bergeron confirmed Monday that he was generally pleased with the arrangement with the town and hoped the property could remain a public parking lot, but, "We also realize that it has some value, too."In separate motions, the board requested that selectmen "pursue" the use of the gravel area along North-South Road for parking and also begin the negotiation process with Bergeron for renewing the lease on the existing municipal lot. In a third motion, the board requested that selectmen write a letter to N.H. Department of Transportation, asking that the state keep space available for parking along North-South Road, in an 80-acre area from Grove Street to Artist Falls Road.That area "affords an opportunity for the municipality and the state to provide parking," Irving said Monday, adding, "We don't want to lose that resource, and we really want the state to recognize that the land has value as a facility for parking."Larry Martin, the selectmen's representative on the planning board, will take those requests to selectmen. He said Thursday that while the idea of providing additional parking in North Conway Village is a "wonderful thing," there are costs involved in maintaining those areas."Don't forget," Martin said, "that every time we take on something, it adds to the budget."Irving estimates that there as 200 parking spaces in North Conway Village and about 500 to 1,000 parking spaces townwide either on municipal or other government lands."Taking a look at parking was one of the priorities expressed by the planning board," Irving said Monday. "This year I'm hoping to do an analysis of how many municipal spaces are out there, how many private parking spaces are out there, and, based on the mix of uses in the villages, how closely does that match to our required parking? Then the projection of that would be: Is the way we manage parking and the development of parking the best way to go about it? The thrust is to determine whether or not the current regulations are adequately serving the need."