OLEAN - The parking lot at the end of West Fall Road that has been the subject of contention will soon be opened as a “park-and-ride” lot.

Mayor David Carucci decided Wednesday morning that the lot’s lines will be painted and it will be opened for public use as soon as possible.

“We’re going to open it and (the Common Council) can decide what they want to do with it,” he said.

The mayor was not specific about when the lot will officially open, but said that striping will be done “as soon as possible.”

He again pointed to the section of the city’s Code of Ordinances and said that the city is within its right to construct and use the lot. Zoning laws, Chapter 28, Article 13, Section 13.0, state, “Nothing in this law shall restrict construction or use in the exercise of a governmental function of public buildings, lands or property.”

Mayor Carucci said that the Common Council can vote to close the parking lot if it wishes, but that it will be open until such a vote is taken.

Members of the city’s Public Safety Committee tabled a measure Tuesday night that would prohibit public use of the lot, but would leave the lot open for use by city employees. Frank Steffen, D-Ward 7, has been vocal in his opposition to putting the parking lot at the end of West Fall Road. He said he expected the mayor to go ahead with opening the lot.

Mr. Steffen said opening the lot is “another display of (the mayor’s) arrogance and unwillingness to work with the council or listen to the concerns of the public.”

Some residents of West Fall Road have come to Common Council meetings to show their opposition to public use of the lot. Tom Morgan urged the Common Council on Tuesday to prohibit public use of the lot. He said he and his wife, Jean, are willing to fight against the lot, even by using legal action, if necessary.

Mayor Carucci said that the park-and-ride lot will help the city gain points toward bonding and federal funding because it shows the city is “going green.” He said the Common Council needs to ask more questions to find out how the lot will help rather than dismiss it as a “not-in-my-backyard” issue, he said.

(Contact reporter Brian Lothridge at blothridge@oleantimesherald.com.)

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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bradfordera.com.

Olean Tea Party wrote on Nov 19, 2009 6:45 PM:

" The Common Council and the citizens of the City of Olean had better keep Daffy Lame Duck on a short leash or he may try to take out a second mortgage on the City Building and Water Treatment Plant. "

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SmartMove wrote on Nov 20, 2009 6:22 AM:

" This is another example of Mayor Carucci having a great idea & the Common Counciil not being smart & open enough to see that! Sorry you aren't the mayor anymore Carucci, and I'm glad you care about going green and helping this city. "

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James wrote on Nov 20, 2009 1:13 PM:

" I told you he has tohave a lot to park his cars "

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Olean Tea Party wrote on Nov 20, 2009 4:25 PM:

" Hey Smart Move,
The city is not going green. It has gangrene and is going broke. (Thanks to "Billy the Dilly" Quinlin and "Daffy Dave" Carucci and the totally uninformed and ill-credentialed "Comedy Council") "

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FedUp wrote on Nov 21, 2009 10:05 AM:

" It sounds like the lame-duck mayor is going to do what he wants to do whether it's agreed upon or not! I'm still in shock that he (Carucci) was ever elected four years ago. I guess the good people of Olean just didn't know him as well as I did. The only thing Carucci does well is spread a load of fertilizer from the city building all the way to his parking lot on the West Fall Road! Now go and fix that a/c unit on your limo Carucci... "

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james wrote on Nov 22, 2009 8:05 PM:

" He did not have to be a lame-duck to do what ever he wanted to do "

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what wrote on Nov 25, 2009 1:57 AM:

" Where exactly are people "parking-and-riding" to? This may make sense in a larger city, but I'm not aware of a large segment of the population facing a long commute to work, let alone sharing the same long commute with a number of others. From his statements regarding the possibility of the Council shutting this down, it sounds like he could care less about the wasted construction costs.
It's no wonder that many of the young residents (myself included) graduate college and move out of the area with issues such as these a top priority for the city as opposed to figuring out how to bring businesses and jobs to the area. "

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