TO:                  Mayor William F. Martin, Jr.

                                    And

                        Members of the Lowell City Council

FROM:            Bernard F. Lynch, City Manager

DATE:             April 13, 2007

RE:                   Council Motion of 4/10/07 by Councillor Elliott

“Request the City Manager have the Traffic Engineer meet with the Transportation Director for the Lowell School Department and develop a traffic/parking plan for the McAvinnue School.”

________________________________________________________________________

I have been in contact with Jeff Gomes, Transportation Engineer, regarding the above mentioned motion and he stated that he has investigated the site in question with the Transportation Director for the Lowell School Department and made some conclusions.  There was a problem with parents double and triple parking on Fourth Avenue alongside the McAvinnue School waiting for their children at dismissal.  Jeff met with the School administration to go over safe practices in the vicinity of the school to deal with student safety as well as parking.  A drop zone was created in front of the school on Fourth Avenue via no parking under ordinance 13-173 “Parking in Front of Certain Entrances” supplemented with coning off drive space along this frontage.  Currently this practice makes for safe access and egress for the McAvinnue School as well as resolving the illegal double and triple parking issues.

In addition, to deal with the displaced parking (due to the no parking in front of the school) Jeff Gomes is working on a parking plan with the Transportation Director from the Lowell School Department, Police Department, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, as well as St. Rita’s staff. 

If you have any questions regarding this information, please let me know.