By Curt Peterson
Killington has adopted a new parking ordinance — and violations will be expensive.
“We want people to know: the new ordinance is going to be enforced,” Town Manager Chet Hagenbarth told the Mountain Times.
Effective Nov. 1 through April 1, all parking on any street is prohibited.
“Because of snow,” Hagenbarth explained. “Any parking is a problem for plowing snow.”
He said the white stuff gets quickly packed on the road surfaces and forms ice, so frequent plowing is necessary. “We’ve already plowed five or six times this year,” he said.
The problem has gotten worse over time, but the increase in the number of full-time residents during the pandemic has exacerbated the challenge for plowing and sanding the roads.
Last month, the day before the Women’s World Cup ski race, over a foot of snow fell on Killington. The 20,000-30,000 race attendees plus the regular ski crowd over the Thanksgiving weekend, made parking — and plowing — an challenge.
“We had 16 inches of snow during the event,” Hagenbarth said. “More cars, more residents, more visitors, more snow — it can be a nightmare if the roads are blocked.”
The updated parking ordinance imposes stiffer fines and designates all streets for on-street parking prohibition. Any vehicle “impeding plowing of snow” will be towed, the town manager said.
Two have been removed already and taken to a storage area where they are accruing daily town and storage facility fees.
The fine for on-street parking during the winter period is $25, and $20 is added for failure to pay the fine within 15 days. If the car isn’t retrieved from storage and fines and fees paid within 90 days of towing, the town can sell the vehicle to collect the unpaid amount plus costs of sale.
