BRUNSWICK

Brunswick councilors offered a range of opinions during discussion Monday about whether food trucks and trailers should be allowed on the Mall overnight.

The council is deciding whether to make a proposed ordinance change to allow the overnight parking. There is already a policy in place that allows them to stay overnight up to six times in a season. Vendors have noted it is an inconvenience to pull trucks off the Mall, and adds to the wear and tear to the trucks or trailers and the sidewalk.

Possible vandalism of the trucks after hours, higher electricity bills paid by the town and an increase in trash were some drawbacks raised in the discussion.

The idea was initially debated in May 2017, when the council considered making a rule change to allow the trucks to stay in place overnight. The plan is to make a decision before vendors sign their 2018 contracts with the town. The town currently charges $2,000 each for the six pads on the Mall, but councilors may opt to increase that cost.

While no resolution came out of the discussion, one thing councilors could agree on Monday was a desire to hear what the public has to say on the matter.

Terry Goan of Twist n’ Dip said vendors could stay overnight several years ago until a business owner on Park Row raised issues with the council, leading to the ordinance that only allows vendors to be on the Mall from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. That business owner has since left and the current owner has no such concern, Goan said.

Bill Dufresne of B.B.’s Grill said he does- n’t believe it would be much of a disruption to the downtown area to keep the trucks on the Mall. Often it is difficult getting on and off the Mall in the summer due to the high level of traffic in the area.

Not all councilors felt comfortable with the idea, however.

“I treasure the town Mall and I don’t think we should use it as a parking lot,” said Councilor Jane Millett.

She said the “Wheeler’s History of Brunswick” states the park area was first donated to the town by three former residents to be “preserved and used as a public walk or mall.”

“It’s a park, plain and simple,” Millett said.

She’d be in favor of increasing the number of nights vendors can stay on the Mall, but doesn’t want them there all the time.

The council also doesn’t want to see vendors on the Mall remaining closed for days in a row.

“The value of the food trucks to me is the vitality they bring to downtown, and I love seeing a lot of people at the food trucks taking advantage of them, enjoying them, maybe having dinner or ice cream during Music in the Mall or whatever,” said Councilor Alison Harris. “I would want to partner any approvals to extend overnights with some understanding of operating hours and expanding those operating hours.”

Goan said he’s willing to work with the council and stay open later during evening events on the Mall, for example.

Still, because the Mall is a public park for all people, Councilor Steve Walker felt the move would be an erosion of public trust. He argued the town has gone out of its way to add pads so vendors can make a dime with a minimal payment to the town annually. Yet councilors weren’t talking about trash, public safety, parking or traffic associated with longer hours.

“Bottom line, do we as a community want to give away more of our public spaces to commercial interests, and my opinion is no,” Walker said.

Suzan Wilson argued the horse has left the barn regarding food trucks, vendors, farmers’ markets and people in the public square.

“I think it’s fair to ask how much of the public mall park is really a park to play on, as it was originally used,” she said, “or has it morphed in such a way that there are other public uses, which include paying money to an ice cream cone or a farmers’ market vendor.”

dmoore@timesrecord.com