City should be more accommodating
To the Editor:
This is an open letter to the City of Marion.
I regret that I am unable to attend the council meetings on Monday nights because I am always away from home on Monday night. However, the truck parking issue does concern me so I would like to express my thoughts to you all.
I have lived in Marion for 58 years, paid city property taxes for 41 years, been an active and supportive member of a local church, supported local businesses and community projects, married and raised a family here. Now I'm beginning to feel that the attitude of most people in this community toward truckers is "yes, deliver the goods you are carrying because we need and want them, but then get on down the road."
I have logged millions of miles driving a semi-truck for the past 35 years. I have been in all 48 contiguous states and Canada. In that 35 years, I have parked my truck in cities, towns, and rural communities (much like Marion) all over this country. I don't buy fuel every time I stop for a break, I may buy a cup of coffee or a snack or a meal if it's available, but often I buy nothing. Yet, I have NEVER paid a fee to park my truck anywhere until now in my hometown of Marion.
Ironic, isn't it? I now have to pay for the privilege of coming home to spend a couple of days a week with my family. I have been law-abiding, courteous and respectful wherever I have traveled, and I, in turn, have been treated with courtesy and respect. Because of a few, all truck drivers have a bad name, but most of us are pretty decent people, just trying to make a decent living and would probably be one of the first to stop and help you out in a pinch.
I appreciate what Darrel Brewer is trying to do for us truckers, but I agree that the area on Grant Street is not the place for a truck parking lot. Even though it may be zoned commercial, it is used primarily as a residential area. I, myself, would not want a truck parking lot next door to my home, with noisy, smelly semi-trucks coming and going all hours of the day and night. I also agree that the streets there are too narrow and not made for truck traffic, with low-hanging tree branches, etc.
For those reasons, if a parking lot is put on Grant Street, I will NOT park my truck there. I would also like to mention, however, that a legally loaded semi-truck probably does not cause any more damage to city streets than an overloaded, single-axle farm truck delivering grain to the elevator.
I have found a neighboring town is much more friendly toward truckers and that is where I will be parking my truck in the foreseeable future (at NO CHARGE by the way). In appreciation for their consideration, I also will be supporting their business as much as possible.
Because I drive for a large company, based in another state, I only can purchase diesel fuel at their authorized locations, using their authorized credit cards. However, I did make all my personal gasoline purchases at Ampride.
I believe truck parking in the industrial park would not only be beneficial to local drivers, but it also could be beneficial to established businesses, as well as potential businesses by providing a place for delivery trucks to park overnight or during their required down time. It also would keep the local trucks off city streets.
Dwight Gooding
Marion
