Minute for minute, it is a pretty safe bet that through the years Wake Forest’s mayors and commissioners have spent more time considering, changing, rethinking and revamping downtown parking than any other subject.
          Tuesday night the current board was doing it again because the first phase of the South White Street streetscape project is complete, doing away with parking on the east side of the street between Wait Avenue and Jones Avenue.
          On the east side in that block, there are several businesses: White Street Computers, Domino’s Pizza, Wake Forest Art & Frame Shop, The Violin Shop, Family Barber Shop, Cady Construction, Hair One Twenty One, and Creative Shears. (See Dean White’s letter about the parking in the May 13 issue of the Gazette.)
          The agenda item was to change the town’s parking ordinance to reflect what is on the ground now, but Commissioner Margaret Stinnett, who once ran the downtown family business, seemed ready to switch the no-parking over to the west, parking lot, side, and Commissioner Anne Hines appeared to agree to some extent.
          “On the west side, we have entrances to parking lots, and the line of sight entering and exiting does make it very difficult,” Stinnett said. “I don’t mean to cause an engineering nightmare, but how about just throwing it out.”
          Hines agreed about exiting the parking lots, saying drivers have to edge out to see if they can turn onto the street.
          Mayor Vivian Jones disagreed, saying moving the no-parking area to the west side would, because of the kink in the street at Jones Avenue, mean the loss of parking spaces in front of the coffee shop.
          “This isn’t a surprise,” Commissioner Peter Thibodeau said. “It’s been a very visible, common project, years in the making.”
          Engineering Director Eric Keravuori reminded the board the second phase of the streetscape project will be happening soon.
          Stinnett suggested the temporary fix the other commissioners agreed on: To change the ordinance as proposed and revisit the question in three months’ time. “That will give us ninety days for everybody to try it out before start going in and changing it.” She also asked that the police department only give out warning tickets for another 30 days for people who park there illegally.
          Stinnett also said she would be at a meeting Thursday at 1 p.m. in the barbershop, a meeting set up by Jody LaFreniere, the executive director at the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce.
          Dean White, the owner of White Street Computers, said he and other affected business owners knew the question of parking in front of their stores was not addressed in the first phase of the streetscape project and thought they had time to assure they would have parking when the second phase was under discussion. He also said the Downtown Revitalization Corporation had not appeared to represent their interests in dealing with town officials about the streetscape plans.