Locked Gates Spark Debate

Ryan Schaiberger said it was a little shocking to see the gate to padlocked on his dead-end street Wednesday afternoon.

Other neighborhood residents including those on Muriel Road were surprised, as well.

Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said the locks were a last resort.

"The selectmen, police department and I have been informing residents for more than two years that those streets cannot be used by parents to drop off their children due to the safety concerns of the residents of those streets," the town administrator said.

He said he and other officials have raised the issue at a selectmen’s meeting, sent robo-calls and had the sports leagues tell the parents.

"... all to no avail," he said.

Still, not all the people who live in the Bates Road neighborhood support the locked gates.

Schaiberger witnessed polar opposite reactions Wednesday afternoon.

One person was yelling that it was about time, he said.

Another neighborhood resident had walked to the gate to enter the park and was unhappy that access was denied.

Schaiberger thinks people in the neighborhood should still have access through the gates to the park.

He understands the town's motivation: to clear the line of cars that park on both side of the street when Phillips Park hosts popular events.

But he prefers an alternative to locks. 

Neighbor Lou Mastromattei suggested that the town limit parking to one side of the street and give neighborhood people the combination to a combo lock on the gate.

He and Schaiberger recognize that fire engines would have a hard time getting down the dead-end streets with cars parked on both sides.

The town administrator said signs were posted to tell people that they can not use the streets to drop off their children.

The signs have been removed, he said, and people park in front of driveways.

"There is a very large and very empty parking lot off of Humphrey Street that should be used by those (who) use the park to watch games or drop off their children, Maylor said.

"The side streets off of Bates should not be used for this purpose and therefore the gates at the end of those streets have been locked."