Re: “Maine Med chief: Collaboration key to better health care” (March 13, Page C1):

In reference to Maine Medical Center’s collaboration with the city and the community, MMC, in one instance, failed to re-engage with a group of property owners and residents on the east side of St. John Street who expressed objection (during the hearings process) to the planned and/or proposed elimination of 13 on-street parking places on St. John Street (on either side of the D Street intersection) to accommodate the entrance to the new MMC employee parking garage.

MMC did parking studies and observations of parking, both on-street and off-street. They made assumptions without directly consulting any of the property owners and/or residents. When we did voice our concerns, I feel that we were ignored.

Rather than engaging or collaborating with property owners and/or residents, MMC and the city planners bypassed our concerns and objections. The Planning Board went on to approve MMC’s plan for the parking garage development project as proposed.

Losing 13 on-street parking spaces may seem insignificant, but for those of us who live and work on this section of St. John Street, this will be a great inconvenience and hardship. This is one example of Big Development’s encroachment on the residential aspect of our neighborhood.

We are not opposing MMC’s employee parking garage project, but we would appreciate the courtesy of re-engaging with one another to consider an alternate solution and compromise for the elimination of this on-street parking. This would be greatly appreciated by all who reside and work in this area.

Deborah Heald

Portland

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