Lowellville ups parking enforcement

June 13, 2015 at 12:08a.m.

LOWELLVILLE

Jen Knechtel found a surprise on her car’s windshield after watching her daughter perform in the Lowellville High School concert band May 21.

It was a $10 ticket for her car being in a no-parking zone at the school.

But Knechtel said she has parked before at the spot during previous school events without being cited.

The citations were made by Lowellville police Capt. Stacy Karis, who was the school’s resource officer until the board asked for her replacement in February.

“Of course I’m going to believe that she has a bone to pick with the school,” Knechtel said, adding that Karis had told her on three occasions that it was OK to park in the spot where she received the ticket.

But Mayor Jim Iudiciani Sr. said there “was no retaliation” against the school board, and that neither Karis nor any other police officer had given permission to park in restricted areas.

Knechtel was among a number of people who attended the concert who received a ticket for illegal parking.

“Although several cars, including mine, were parked on the street in front of the school in a no-parking zone, traditionally, cars parked there during school events have not been ticketed,” said Chris and Randy Partika in a joint email to Lowellville administrators in a public-records request. “We know this, because we have often parked in this very spot during the 42-plus concerts and numerous other school activities and sporting events that our family has attended over the past 18 years while attending Lowellville schools,” the email said.

Iudiciani said the past enforcement may have been lax but that it’s a safety issue that needs to be enforced.

“That was wrong, and it was our mistake,” he said. “I’ll take the blame for it in the past.”

The village’s council deferred the issue to the safety committee at its monthly meeting, Wednesday.