ROCKPORT — Residents and businessmen who objected to a recent proposal to limit truck deliveries on Bearskin Neck to certain hours during the busy summer season will have another opportunity to speak their minds.
Based on those cool reactions to the proposal to ban deliveries along the Neck between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. through October, the Traffic Committee pledged to reach out to businesses for further input.
On Tuesday, slightly more than two months after drafting the initial proposal, the committee will hold a special meeting in Conference Room A of Town Hall at 7 p.m. to hear from residents and businessmen.
Selectmen discussed the issue of deliveries on Bearskin Neck at their meeting May 27 after hearing the the Traffic Committee's draft proposal.
Town Administrator Michael Racicot, who sits on the Traffic Committee with police Chief Thomas McCarthy and Public Works Director Joseph Parisi, reported then that the proposed ban was a reaction to complaints from several Bearskin Neck residents about large trucks maneuvering around people while making deliveries along the Neck's narrow roadway.
McCarthy said the committee spent a lot of time deliberating before proposing the draft policy, which would require larger trucks to stop at the designated bus stop in Dock Square and smaller trucks to park in front of 11 Dock Square.
Several residents and business owners who attended the May 27 meeting agreed something had to be done to address the delivery process, but a majority didn't believe the Traffic Committee's proposal was the answer.
Judi Rotenberg-Ross, owner of The Square Circle at 11 Dock Square, said restricting trucks to an already congested Dock Square during peak business hours would be "very detrimental to business" and urged officials to explore "other options in the area."
Bearskin Neck business owner Leslie Asare agreed with Rotenberg-Ross; she thanked the committee for addressing the problem but said the solution needed some work.
"Dock Square is a beautiful area and should not have delivery zones," said Asare, owner of Joncien, at 25 Bearskin Neck.
Seth Yorra of Main Street said he recognized there is a problem but said the town should not institute a bad policy. He believes traffic should not be allowed down Bearskin Neck at all.
McCarthy said he believes it is only a matter of time before a serious accident happens.
Earlier this month, Bearskin Neck gallery owner Mark Kanegis stated in a letter to selectmen that he's been writing and calling the town administrator for several years about the big rigs "driving down (and backing down) Bearskin Neck, sometimes two or three at a time".
Kanegis' letter, which was e-mailed July 4 and included two images of a large truck traveling down the Neck just feet away from people, noted his frustration over the town's response to the issue.
He would like Rockport to join other seaside towns with small shopping districts that require deliveries to be made by power carts and dollies in high foot-traffic, people-friendly areas.
Greenery Restaurant owner Amy Hale, of Marmion Way, is against banning delivery trucks from the Neck. She said delivery people should simply be more responsible and limit deliveries to the mornings only.
Selectman Charles Clark was among those who was left desiring a better solution.
"The town needs to come up with the best possible solution," he said. "No one wants the delivery zone in front of their home. We need the residents of Bearskin Neck to meet with the Traffic Committee."
In a response letter to Kanegis, written on behalf of selectmen and dated July 7, Racicot said the committee was "waiting for town counsel's opinion on exactly how (it) could structure delivery regulations without infringing on commerce," and that "there will be a public meeting once town counsel has explained our parameters."
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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