Mar 12, 2003 By Steve Ferris 6 min read

A Uniontown city council work session Tuesday night called to address trailer parking on Ben Lomond Street turned rancorous at times between the owner of the trailers and about 30 residents who say the trailers create safety problems – but, at the end, the owner agreed to move his four trailers off the street. George Teslovich Jr. of 100 Ben Lomond St. agreed to move the trailers, which he said he used in his hobby of racing cars, only after police chief Kyle Sneddon talked to him in the hallway outside council chambers, a place that erupted in anger several times during the hour and one-half session.

Council scheduled the work session after Trevor Waligura of 101 Ben Lomond St. appeared at the March 4 regular meeting and asked council to enforce an ordinance, which he believed made it illegal to park any vehicle indefinitely on streets or alleys for any reason.

He said Teslovich’s trailers could prevent a driver from seeing one his children or other children who live along the street if they run out into the street while playing.

Waligura said the trailers have been on the street since September and two haven’t been moved at all since December.

Mayor Jim Sileo opened Tuesday’s session by saying the city’s engineering firm, Chester Engineers, will conduct traffic studies at all four-way intersections in residential neighborhoods – like the one at Ben Lomond and Nassau streets in the West End – and report their findings to council so the panel can determine if changes are needed to parking ordinances.

He said residents park too close to intersections to allow fire truck and snow plows to negotiate the corners.

“This will have an impact on the whole city,” Sileo said.

Solicitor Dan Webster advised the residents that council was prohibited by law from taking any action in work-session meetings.

He said the engineers will measure sight distances at intersections and collect other information so council can decide later whether the current parking ordinances, some of which date back to 1901, are valid and enforceable.

Webster said he hoped that the residents could use “reason, common sense and decency” and resolve the dispute themselves.

Sneddon said the old ordinances are vague and should be updated.

“We need a serious overhaul of the city ordinances,” Sneddon said.

One ordinance prohibits angle parking, but angle parking is required in some downtown lots, Sneddon said.

“We need to get all our ducks in a row, as far as ordinances go,” Sneddon said.

He said parking is currently prohibited within 25 feet of any intersection, but maybe that distance should be extended in residential areas, due to street parking, so fire trucks and snow plows can reach those streets when needed.

“We have a serious problem especially in R1 (residential) neighborhoods,” fire chief /zoning officer Myron Nypaver said.

He said the city’s fire trucks vary from 25 to 37 feet long and parked vehicle get in their way and block fire hydrants.

However, Waligura said the issue at hand was trailer- parking on Ben Lomond Street.

He said the ordinance prohibiting parking any vehicle for indefinite amounts of time should be enforced.

Teslovich said he trailers are properly licensed and registered, and not using them everyday does not constitute storage.

Webster said parking non-passenger vehicle on a street for a long time might not be considered reasonable use of parking space by a district justice or a judge.

He said he went to Ben Lomond Street some time ago and discussed the situation with Teslovich, Waligura and Chris Parker, who lives there and own a four-unit apartment house there.

Webster said he determined that Teslovich parked his trailers there to prevent Parker’s tenants from parking in front of his house. Teslovich said the tenants often leave litter in his yard, Webster said.

“I think public roads are being used to resolve a personal problem,” Webster said.

Teslovich, who was joined by his wife Elaine, disagreed with Webster’s summation.

He said he originally had two trailers, but the tenants blocked his access to them with their vehicles, so he brought in another trailer. He said be brought in the fourth trailer after the tenants continued to block access to the other trailers, and residents sometimes block his driveway with their vehicles.

Several of his neighbors told him that if he asks, they would move theirs cars if they block his driveway or trailers.

Teslovich said if safety was the main concern, council should prohibit all parking on the street.

Currently, parking is permitted only on one side of the road.

Waligura’s wife Cherisse said the trailers are the safety problem because drivers can’t see around or through them.

“A road houses cars and trailers,” Teslovich said. “I don’t understand the inconvenience when it’s in front of my house.”

John Sharp, also of Ben Lomond Street, said he owns a trailer and a boat, but rents parking space for them elsewhere because he doesn’t want to cause problems with his neighbors. “That’s what neighbors do,” Sharp said.

Sileo asked Teslovich to move the trailers off the street. He said, “the problem would go away” if he moved his trailers.

“What problem would go away,” Teslovich responded.

The residents responded angrily when Councilman Blair Jones suggested that Sileo declare a state of emergency and prohibit all parking until council resolved the matter.

He said the city is not obligated to provide street parking for residents.

Sneddon said all parties agreed that safety was the main issue and he would cite Teslovich even though the applicable ordinance is “very vague” and subject to interpretation. Sneddon said he or his officers would first ask Teslovich to move them and cite him if he refuses.

He said he and Nypaver would make sure the street is safe.

Teslovich said if he moved his trailers into his driveway or garage, he would have to move his passenger vehicles into the street to make room.

After Sneddon said Mr. Teslovich agreed to move the trailers, Elaine Teslovich asked council to look into the ordinance governing parking for multi-family dwellings.