The issue of parking shortages, and whether residential properties should be acquired to reduce these shortfalls, has been ongoing for decades and has once again reared its head.

It seems as though every few years, the so-called "Houses for Parking" or Park Buffer Strip Plan is brought up again. This is a situation where there is no compromise that will make everyone happy, and until a definite determination is made the issue will continuously be resurrected.

Whether or not the village board chooses to bring a conclusion to this situation is still yet to be determined. The problem with having this issue come up every year or two is that other important issues in the community are pushed to the side while the board once again listens to this debate.

The parking debate impacts so many other happenings in the village. As certain property owners' association select their candidates for trustees, where those people stand on the parking situation is always a consideration, which is fine but this one issue cannot control the village. There are so many other important issues that need to be in the spotlight, such as the future of St. Paul's or whether or not a new village hall will be built. While these issues have not been completely forgotten, they tend not to be in the spotlight they deserve when the parking debate once again becomes the forefront of every village meeting.

A firm resolution must be made one way or the other. The board and mayor must say that either the village has completely renounced the Park Buffer Strip Plan and will no longer consider it, or they must say that they will definitely seek to acquire homes as they become available. Either way there will be people who are unhappy with the decision but the board must carefully consider the good of the entire village. We have put our trust in the village officials and must now count on them to end this stalemate once and for all.

-Susie Trenkle