Four members of Bethlehem City Council met with concerned residents of the neighborhood surrounding Nitschmann MS June 4 to address the parking complications that will occur during the construction of the new school.

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) building was occupied by 30 residents, in addition to Council President J. William Reynolds and council members Eric Evans, Cathy Reuscher and Adam R. Waldron.

The meeting was held to follow up on the original suggestion of converting part of the Rose Garden into parking spaces for the duration of construction. After the suggestion met with disapproval from the community, it was withdrawn.

An idea proposed by neighborhood residents to lessen the stress of parking on faculty and staff was to create more available parking areas on nearby streets. The majority of the attendees supported this idea, while others voiced concerns about personal parking and snow removal during the winters.

Those who disagreed said that if teachers were able to park on their streets, residents might not be guaranteed a parking spot in front of their own home.

Reynolds suggested the addition of permit parking to solve this difficulty, but several community members expressed discontent at the prospect of having to pay to park where they normally park for no charge.

A proposal for snow removal was made, recommending that on odd number days drivers park on one side of the road and on even days the other side of the road is used to allow plows to clear the streets within a two-day period.

Another widely supported notion was to ask contractors and construction workers to park in the school district-owned Rosemont building lot and take a shuttle to the school, rather than asking the teachers to park elsewhere and be shuttled. Arguments were made that the construction workers would take up the good spaces before the teachers arrive and that construction workers are often used to being shuttled.

"All of the options we're considering are the ones that need to be considered," Reynolds said. Reuscher said she is confident that a solution which works for the community will be found.

Reynolds said that while council is trying to help the situation along, concerned community members should attend school board meetings for more information. The next Bethlehem Area Board of School Directors meeting is scheduled for June 16 at 6 p.m. at the Ed Center, 1516 Sycamore St.