There has been a push by the Monmouth city officials to remove parking off of Sixth Street on the west side of the College campus. According to Monmouth College President Mauri Ditzler, the city has made a recent strong push since last fall to remove parking spots along Sixth Street.

Although no formal decision has been made, both Ditzler and Monmouth Mayor Rod Davies have had an ongoing discussion, along with other city officials, about removing the parking options.

The main purpose of the spot removal would be to improve safety along those sections of Sixth Street. The main concern surrounds limited visibility for individuals pulling out of college streets and parking lots. Other complaints have surrounded the narrow space created by the parked cars along the street.

However, Ditzler is looking to compromise with the requests of the city, saying that he would be willing to remove parking spots directly to the left of the curb cuts and pull-out areas. “A compromise could be to remove parking from the most dangerous areas,” commented Ditzler.

Ditzler also commented that he could not see more than 10 to 20 spots being removed from those areas.

In addition, he said that the College is in the process of identifying areas where overload parking could be placed. Over last summer, the College built a parking lot away from campus, along Euclid, and it remains relatively empty compared to the campus and streetside parking. Ditzler mentioned that the open spots there could also be an option.

The parking at Peacock Memorial Field may also be an option for students who may lose the popular parking spots along Sixth Street.

For now, Sixth Street will remain a crowded place for students to park, especially during the weekdays. But, as the discussion continues at Monmouth City Hall, Monmouth College students may soon be in search of new places to park their cars if Sixth Street is made a no parking zone.

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