The Northfield City Council discussed truck parking in the Babcock Park (rodeo grounds/dog park) parking lot at Monday’s meeting. I wasn’t there but caught a bit of the discussion on a KYMN news report yesterday. It seems that there was staff and Council consensus that this was NOT a good place for semis to park overnight, maybe they were just missing some of these semi truck parts for a repair. I’m not sure of all the reasoning but evidently visual blight was one of them. I’ve always thought it was a perfect spot for the semis: close to the highway, rarely used parking lot, lot big enough for trucks to turn around.
Griff,
I agree with you on this one, I can’t think of a better spot for these trucks to park given the size of the area and the access to the highway.
I don’t remember the history of this parking area for the trucks, but didn’t it have something to do with encouraging these drivers to not park their trucks in residential neighborhoods and take up a bunch of space and a bunch of noise? Do we want to go back to that?
If the council is seriously considering taking action on this I would hope they have a better spot for the trucks that offers the same advantages as this one.
Although I am not naive to truck parking problems, it is good to have a nice safe place to sleep for these knights of the road who keep the commerce moving and bring us good things we can’t get otherwise. Most trucks look pretty good and some even artful, so let em ride n park unobstructed.
I think that this area is a great, centrally located, easy to access area for overnight truck parking.
When my father came to visit last year, he researched where he could park his semi, and ended up dropping his trailer at the Big Steer, (in a DARK parking lot) then bob-tailing into Northfield.
I then followed him down to this lot to park his rig, as I knew that parking in a residential area with his truck running the heater was not going to fly.
I would be curious to hear the council and staff’s alternatives. I cannot think of many.
Griff- I agree, also. In the winter months, most truckers let their diesels idle rather than turning them off and causing fuel gel problems. They use very little fuel at idle, and it is easier on the equipment than a cold start. This area is away from residences, so the noise should not be a factor. As far as any visual blight, I would rather see these trucks parked here than the piles of dirty snow and ice removerd from the downtown area. Those piles, in my opinion, are ugly!
How about we put some screening trees between the lot and Highway 3…
A nice tree or two that they will cut down in 150 years perhaps? 😎
John- Planting some sort of green partition along the boulevard would create two problems that come to my mind. 1) It would cut down the visability of the DJJD events there. 2) It would increase security risks for the truckers parking there. Vandalism is much less frequent in a well lit public area than a darker hidden area. Are these rigs actually that much of an eyesore in this area? I think an area of greater safety concern are all the trucks that park along Armstrong Road just south of Hwy. 19.
I really do not think they are not that much of an eyesore. Also, since I have been here, I do not remember that much “running” overnight parking.
Most of the parking has been resident owners, parking their rigs, and going to their homes in Northfield at night.
I wasn’t thinking of a dark, secluded area. I was thinking more of some arborvitaes near the bike bath, at the intersection of Woodley and HWY 3, that would screen it a bit. It would not extend down to the rodeo grounds.
John T.- I suppose the site line from Woodley could be screened, but it seems to me that there is a much broader area of visibility. It extends from the Cannon River bridge on south bound Hwy. 3 to north bound Hwy 3 about in front of Dokmo’s. That would entail a lot of trees.
The issue is not whether or not this is a good location for truck parking, but whether truck parking is a good use of a park which we would like to develop to form part of a better gateway to our community. The use of this park for, ahem, parking has become more pressing with the anticipation of the bike/ped bridge.
Well, I would agree. I would also agree that the bleachers, used once a year, are pretty shabby looking as well.
Betsey- I see your point. With the new bridge across the river, the whole use of this park is going to change. It will now be a daily transition park rather than a couple times a year destination park. Oh, and I love your word play, using a park for parking. What a novel idea!
The bridge is exciting and quite nice. I am excited to head down there today and watch the crane work needed to get it assembled and placed.
It will be an interesting ballet.
I stopped down this morning, and talked to the bridge crew. Today is prep and general assembly. (3 cranes!)
The “big lift and join” is scheduled for Monday.
Griff, can you get some pictures for us on Monday?
Betsy –
In post #7 you state “The issue is not whether or not this is a good location for truck parking, but whether truck parking is a good use of a park which we would like to develop to form part of a better gateway to our community. The use of this park for, ahem, parking has become more pressing with the anticipation of the bike/ped bridge.”
Are there currently plans drawn up for this park and has a timeline been set for the redevelopment? If so, do the new plans take the annual rodeo into account? Not that the world revolves around the DJJD festival but if and when this park is redeveloped parking for the rodeo will become an issue. And lastly, has there been discussion on the council’s / park board’s part as to where trucks may park overnight?
Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated.
Let’s see. Semi trucks parked in a large, rarely-used parking lot close to the highway and close to many of Northfield’s eating establishments and service stations where I am guessing that many of the drivers buy food and possibly gas. I drive by that lot in the evenings and am glad to see the space being used, but have not once considered it to be visual blight.
The Park System Master Plan has the development plan for Babcock in Appendix A: Appendix-A-Ames,-Aspen,-Babcock,-Bridge-Square. I’m putting the text and a cropped aerial image here for convenience:
In the Sat. Nfld News, Polishing the Pearls: Riverfront parks, re: Babcock Park parking lot:
Prediction: If the skateboarders agree to this ‘temporary’ solution, out of frustration and dejection, they will still be there in a ‘temporary’ situation 5 or more years from now.
Skateboarders: Please attend the council work session this Monday ( 4.27) and listen to the discussion between the Council and the Park Board. The Park Board has been ‘sticking by their guns’; you need to hear, first hand, what is said.