Moore City Council will monitor on-street parking

MOORE — For the fourth time in as many city council meetings, the issue of parking on S Silver Leaf Drive was discussed Monday night.

City council members agreed at their Aug.7 meeting to put the issue on the Aug. 21 agenda and allow public input regarding the proposal to ban on-street parking on S Silver Leaf Drive.

Only John Hanes and a woman who identified herself as Jane Williams, of SE 14, spoke on the matter.

Williams agreed there is a problem with parking on both sides of a narrow street. She said such a situation creates a one-lane road.

“It is also hard to see children in a road that is not open,” she said.

Monday was Hanes’ fourth appearance before the council. He claimed there are numerous people on the social media site Nextdoor who support his view. He repeated his claim that his neighbors are parking on the street instead of in their driveways.

“People can build a third driveway, but they don’t want to,” he said.

The city should ban parking on his street from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., Hanes said.

He also told the council that speed bumps need to be installed. He repeated his claim that students from the nearby Moore High School are driving at 40 miles per hour on his street in the morning, at noon and in the afternoon after classes.

He also repeated his charge about congestion along his street when there is a football game at the high school.

“It has to stop,” Hanes said.

Danielle McKenzie, Hanes’ councilwoman, told him that no parking on the streets is not what Moore residents want. She said many families have four vehicles, and some of those have no alternative but to park a vehicle on the street.

“I understand your view, but I also understand the other side,” McKenzie said.

Councilman Mark Hamm suggested the city monitor the parking situation.

“The problem is no one else from your neighborhood is here,” Councilwoman Melissa Hunt told Hanes.

She said no one else has called the city to complain about the parking issue.

Hanes showed his frustration, remarking that coming before the city council was a waste of time.

“This council has been nothing but respectful to this community,” Councilman Terry Cavnar said.

“We aren’t going to make it illegal to park on your street,” Hunt told Hanes.

Hanes repeated another claim that the parking situation makes it difficult for emergency vehicles to get down his street at night when the neighbors are home. The police and fire chiefs said they did not know of such an event.

Hanes continued to recite his protests until McKenzie said, “I think this conversation is over, and we will continue to monitor the situation.”

The other members agreed.

Before the meeting began, Hanes, a retired truck driver, said he has lived in Moore for 25 years and moved to S Silver Leaf Drive in 2000.

An April 21, 1986, story found on NewsOK.com, reported that a truck driver named John Hanes spoke before the Bethany City Council about another parking issue. Hanes confirmed that was him.

In 1986, Bethany wanted to ban the parking of tractor-trailers on residential driveways.

At that time, Hanes had complained that would require him to remove all his belongings and tools from the tractor and parking it away from his house. The 1986 article said the Bethany City Council sent that issue to a committee.

Also ...

In other action Monday night, the Moore City Council approved a contract with the Moore school district for $309,345.49 to provide seven uniformed school officers at the district’s six junior high schools and three high schools.