Vernon continues quest for boardwalk parking solution

VERNON — Vernon may finally get a solution for its Appalachian Trail parking problem.
Members of the Vernon Township Council on Monday said they plan to meet with a group of 15 county, state, Department of Environmental Protection and AppalachianTrail officials in hopes of finding a fix for the growing problem of traffic near the boardwalk off Route 517 and “Stairway to Heaven” path off Route 94.
Council President Dan Kadish and Councilwoman Jean Murphy, who will participate in the event, said the meeting is slated to take place on Monday, May 23. Kadish said the gathering will aim to address alternative sites for parking, funding and what to do about the mounting traffic issues in both the short and long term.
“It's going to be a think tank,” Kadish said. “It's going to be 'we have a problem, let's find a solution.'”
The announcement came as part of a lengthy discussion between residents, the council and Vernon Police Chief Randy Mills about the hazards posed by both a lack of adequate parking and the trail visitors themselves.
Members of the public on Monday said the boardwalk has brought more than just day hikers and parking headaches.
Residents of Meadowlark Road and Carol Drive — which are located on either side of the boardwalk on Route 517 — said the visitors also are creating noise pollution, leaving trash behind and preventing mail from being delivered by parking in front of their mailboxes. Some homeowners even reported instances of trail tourists urinating and defecating on their lawns.
Kadish said the problems posed by the trail's increasing popularity first came to the attention of local officials last fall and have rapidly worsened since that time.
Mill said the Vernon Police Department received 156 calls last year from residents complaining about parking in the Carol Drive and Meadowlark Road vicinity and wrote 169 tickets for violations in that area. This year, Mills said the department has already received 184 calls from residents near the boardwalk and written 148 tickets for violations there.
Mills said the police department has done its best to respond to mounting resident concerns. The department, he said, has added an extra officer on weekends to patrol the trail vicinity and stepped up parking and speed enforcement in the area. Mills also said the police department has increased parking signage. But without the passage of ordinances amending parking rules or the implementation of a long-term plan, Mills said there's not much more officers can do beyond trying to manage the situation.
At Monday's meeting, officials said a number of solutions are being considered, including swapping parking to the north side of Route 517 to avoid visibility issues or creating a parking lot at some as yet undetermined location.
Mayor Harry Shortway also proposed the creation of a secondary boardwalk and trails that would divert traffic from the Appalachian Trail boardwalk and lead hikers on a scenic route into downtown Vernon. Shortway said he believes the creation of such trails would be possible without using taxpayer money through a combination of grants and donations.
According to Kadish, several of the Appalachian Trail representatives who will take part in the upcoming meeting were part of the original effort to build the boardwalk and are familiar with the area's need for parking facilities. Previously, Kadish said the Appalachian Trail had set aside more than $200,000 to build a parking area. That plan was abandoned after residents objected to the lot and the funds are no longer available, he said.
Kadish, however, said he is hopeful the group of officials meeting later this month will be able to come up with another solution for the future.
“Everyone that I've spoken to of those 15 people are enthusiastic about coming up and facing this problem,” Kadish said. “Everybody is very concerned about this and we're very aware about it as well."