Evendale residents could lose parking on one side of every residential street under a proposed ordinance headed to Village Council for a first reading on Sept. 8.

The measure would ban parking on the side of the street where fire hydrants are located. Mayor Richard Finan said in the village's September newsletter that the proposal "is being considered as a precautionary measure to facilitate emergency vehicles' access to all homes."

The proposal grew out of a July 14 council committee session where residents told officials that parked vehicles had made certain cul-de-sacs unreachable during July 4 celebrations, according to council meeting minutes. Residents and staff agreed to develop a year-round fix.

Finan acknowledged the village has no record of emergency responses delayed by blocked roads. The newsletter noted that when landscapers and service trucks park opposite another vehicle, the travel lane narrows.

The rule is not entirely new. In the village's January newsletter, Finan wrote that Evendale had relied on "an unwritten rule" asking residents to park opposite hydrants for years. The ordinance would put that expectation into law.

If approved, the village plans to post a sign at each entrance alerting drivers. Separate "no parking" signs would still go up on certain streets for major events like the Fourth of July.

Council could take a formal vote on the ordinance at its Tuesday, Oct. 13 meeting.

13 streets set for resurfacing

Separately, the Evendale Service Department will begin resurfacing 13 streets the week of Labor Day, Sept. 7. The work is expected to last about three weeks.

The streets on the list: Grimsby Lane, Horncastle Lane, Swindon Court, Heathercrest Circle, Inwood Drive, Fawnrun Court, Pondside Court, Pheasantwalk Court, Acton Court, Winnebago Trail (South), Oxbow Trail, Stanwin Place and Otterbein Road (West).

The same 13 streets appeared in the village's June newsletter. A July newsletter listed the final road as Otterbein Road (East) rather than West. The September newsletter reverts to the West designation.

The resurfacing project was anticipated to start in late August or early September, according to the July 14 council minutes. A preconstruction meeting was held July 8.

No individual council members have taken a public position on the parking ordinance.