Oswego officials say on street parking restriction near Oswego East High School ‘working great’

Village of Oswego officials say they have not heard any complaints since the Village Board voted Aug. 23 to adopt an ordinance restricting on-street parking in neighborhoods near Oswego East High School.

The ordinance limits on-street parking in designated residential zones on school days within a one-mile radius of the school at 1525 Harvey Road.

Students wishing to park in the zones on school days must purchase a parking permit from the village at a cost of $400. OSD 308 charges OEHS students $200 for a permit to park in parking lots on school property.

The ordinance was put in place to deter OEHS students from parking on the streets of neighboring subdivisions, especially Prescott Mill, located across Harvey Road from the school.

The parking issue previously caused turmoil between the OSD 308 Board, the Village Board and residents.

Village President Troy Parlier and Village administrator Dan Di Santo said they have not heard any more complaints pertaining to parking at OEHS since the village imposed its parking restriction.

“It’s working great,” Di Santo said. “No issues. No complaints. No more problem.”

Police Chief Jeff Burgner said only eight permits have been issued since the ordinance was passed by the Village Board. He said since then, his department has not received any complaints from residents.

“The problem we were trying to solve was residents’ complaints about students parking in their neighborhood, especially in Prescott Mill,” Burgner said. “Since the ordinance was passed, that problem has subsided.”

Under the restriction, on-street parking on school days is limited to village residents only in five designated zones located within one mile of the high school. (See map)

Burgner said all eight permits were purchased in Zone 1 (Prescott Mill subdivision), the zone with the shortest walking distance to the school. No permits have been requested for zones two through five.

For village residents who do not reside in one of the zones, a permit is now required to legally park in the five zones between 7 a.m. and noon on school days.

The ordinance requires that a permit must be obtained unless one of the following conditions applies:

• The vehicle is registered to a resident in that zone. Any resident whose vehicle is registered to an address in that zone may park without a permit.
• The vehicle is a commercial or business vehicle and conducting business in that zone. Contractors, delivery trucks, and vehicles providing service or repair are exempt.
• The vehicle is parked for emergency purposes.

Village residents who wish to park in one of the zones but do not live there can apply for an annual permit. Only 25 permits will be issued for each zone.

Virtual permits will be linked to license plate numbers, therefore no physical permits will be issued. Individuals who reside outside village limits are not eligible to apply for zone permits.

Applications and a map of the restricted parking zones are available on the village’s website.

Police issued written warnings to violators during the first 30 days, during which, Burgner said his officers were proactively enforcing the parking zones.

Non-permitted parking in the zones results in a $250 fine for first offenders. Burgner said since the warning period ended, seven tickets have been issued with no repeat offenders.

Burgner said he appreciates the students for adhering to the new ordinance and following the rules. He also thanked Prescott Mill subdivision residents for their patience and cooperation in monitoring the parking situation.