Schoharie Sorts Out Parrott House Parking

By Joshua Walther

SCHOHARIE - Parking behind 300 Main Street has been a long-standing issue for Town employees, with veterans like James Schultz or Pamela Foland remembering anecdotes of their troubles from several years ago.

The problem is that, from a legal standpoint, employees only have ten feet from the back of the town hall building to use as parking, with the rest of the lot belonging to the Parrott House. However, a solution may now be in sight.

At Wednesday night’s Schoharie Town Board meeting, Supervisor Ben Oevering said that they received a request for a lot line adjustment from the Parrott House on the town hall’s side.

The head engineer who is currently working on renovations for the historic hotel explained that they need three feet of the Town’s land for a potential elevator, but nothing is set in stone just yet.

After looking into their policies, Supervisor Oevering found that they cannot give the land to the Parrott House, as the trade must be in consideration for something else, and he could think of no better candidate than the legal right to use their parking space.

“This is perfect for a parking easement or a ten-year contract or something for the land usage,” he explained.

He continued, noting that if the Parrott House restoration sees major commercial success, the owners could very well limit the Town’s use of their lot in favor of paying customers.

The argument quickly won over the rest of the Board, with Floyd Guernsey saying “I don’t see a problem with that trade. It’s the good neighborly thing to do.”

Once all members were in agreement, the Board passed a unanimous motion to try and pursue the legal right for parking behind their buildings.

In other news, the Board also set a date for a special joint meeting with the Town of Esperance.

The meeting will determine the CAP 1 Revaluation, and after speaking with Esperance’s people, Supervisor Oevering stated that it should be no more than thirty minutes.

The joint discussion will be held on June 5th at 6:30 PM, a half an hour before the Central Bridge Water Sewer Meeting, and all members of the Board plan to be in attendance.