BY CRAIG FREILICH
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The village has declined to adopt a parking ban along the south side of Main Street near SUNY Potsdam that was requested by the college.

The chief of the college's police department had asked that the south side of Main along the campus be off limits for vehicle parking, citing safety concerns.

But the mayor and all four trustees voted against the proposed change to local law, also citing safety worries.

"We felt it would be an inconvenience to people attending events" at the school, forcing them to park on the south side of the street and making them cross Main Street, sometimes with strollers and with senior citizens, to get to the campus events at a busy time along the road, said Trustee Abby Lee.

She said the campus police have shown good capability in the past at setting up special campus parking arrangements for events such as sports at the athletic fields and concerts and other events at the Crane School and Performing Arts Center near Main.