On the surface, it appeared Park Island homeowners came to the village council Dec. 8 meeting to present a petition asking for a ban on street parking from 3-6 a.m.
Members of 18 households out of 30 on the island signed the petition. The request was made, according to the petition, to facilitate snow plowing in the winter and to work to improve the appearance of the neighborhood.
Howard Daenzer admitted later in the evening the request really had nothing to do with snow removal, but instead was an attempt to get rid of a dilapidated car that had been parked on the street for six months.
LO Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel said neighbors had asked for help in getting rid of the car and the petition to restrict parking was an attempt to bring peace to the neighborhood.
Because a portion of Park Island Drive is private and not public, the Village of Lake Orion has limited jurisdiction and many street ordinances don’t apply.
According to Daenzer, the vehicle has now been removed.
Dominic Lombardo told the council members of 12 households who signed the petition had changed their minds and were no longer in favor of restricting parking at any time.
Lombardo is the owner of the vehicle and admitted he had parked the car in front of Mike Hadley’s house, a neighbor he has been feuding with.
‘I’m sorry I offended the rest of the residents,? he said.
‘I’ve seen the condition of it (the car) and I can’t understand how we can’t resolve the problem of someone parking in front of another’s property,? councilman Doug Dendel said. ‘It seems like using someone else’s property for parking isn’t fair.?
The village’s parking ordinance, according to LO Police Chief Jerry Narsh, says that it can only be enforced on village owned property.
Some state laws could overlap. For instance, a drunken driver on Park Island Drive could be arrested.
Narsh said the police did take action with the car when glass was broken, oil was leaking and graffiti was written on the exterior.
‘I’ve spoken to both neighbors and they have said they won’t park in front of each other’s homes,? he added.
Council members discussed taking a look at a parking ordinance because some people on the island said they were still interested in some restrictions.
Stan Piper said he basically signed the petition because of his concern for safety.
‘Leave it where it was (no restrictions),? Vance D’Onofrio said. ‘I didn’t like the car sitting there either, but I didn’t want to get into the middle of a fight.
‘The majority of the people are saying they don’t want it. Why spend money on the lawyer?? council president Bill Siver asked.
The council decided to take no action on the request.