A tractor-trailer parking lot on Commerce Street in Atlantic will remain closed, following a motion passed Tuesday night by the Community Protection Committee. The Committee, comprised of Councilpersons Bob Cord, Ashley Hayes, and Chris Jimerson, along with Mayor Dave Jones, met at City Hall to discuss the future of the site. City Administrator Doug Harris was also in attendance.

The committee concluded it would be better to have the lot utilized by the City and County governments until such time as the need for a City-owned truck parking lot is expressed more, by those it was originally intended to serve. Doug Harris agreed a cooperative agreement between the City and County would be in the best interest of both entities, if the County is willing to agree. Harris said the City should approach County Engineer Charles Marker and ask if they have a need for storage on the lot, or take a small portion of the lot and allow the metal recycling company next door to use some of the lot for expansion, with the provision some sort of a screen be put in place to shield it from view of the Schildberg Recreation Area.

Mayor Jones suggested that while the lot could be used for the storage of some City and County-owned equipment in the short-term, nothing permanent be established or installed. That would leave the option of using the area for truck parking again, if a need is demonstrated by those who might need it, in the future. The City wouldn’t charge the County for use of the land, if the government resources could be shared.

No one from the public objected to the Committees decision. The issue of truck parking arose several years ago when the City received complaints about semis parked on City streets. The City poured a concrete slab and allowed the trucks to temporarily park there, but the site soon became an eyesore, with trailers being left for long periods of time and the area becoming more like a junk yard. The City cleaned-up the site and then closed it off until a decision could be made on its future. Meanwhile, other, private entities have stepped-up and offered to rent lots for truck parking. The Mayor has said the City should not be in competition with those individuals if the need is being filled.