Nyack Church Says Parking an Issue

On Burd Street in Nyack, two usually disparate subjects are at odds—faith and parking.

Nyack Church of God holds evening worship on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 p.m. to 11:20 p.m. The last 20 minutes of worship overlap with Nyack's new paid parking hours, which start at 11 p.m.

As a result, church-goers are forced to rush out mid-service to feed the meter, said reverend Amos Jospeh. The tickets are a burden to cash-strapped parishoners, Joseph added, and may drive them to another church.

"My members need more time to get to their vehicles before being ticketed," Joseph said. He asked the village board if parking officers could grant church-goers a respite; worshippers could put a note on their dashboard, Joseph said.

Nyack Jen Laird-White noted Nyack's muni-meters allow motorists to pre-pay—a resident or visitor can feed the meter during free parking hours, and have their payment kick in once paid parking hours begin.

Village lawmakers decided last week to extend the test period for the new hours, which were first implemented in the spring.

Joseph said streetfairs also cause parking controversies. The church has a designated parking lot during the bazaars—which can brings tens of thousands to the village—but many motorists park there anyway.

"People shouldn't come to Nyack on Sunday to worship and not be able to," said trustee Louise Parker.

Joseph suggested larger parking signs to remedy the problem.