DOUGLASS (MONT.) >> Dozens of parked cars belonging to Boyertown Area High School students were towed from the Boyertown Shopping Center Wednesday morning. The shopping center’s parking is reserved for store patrons only.
Students have received notifications since January stating that the parking lot is for private use only, according to Boyertown Area School District Superintendent Richard Faidley. The notifications were delivered via student news and the district newsletter, he said
By continuing to park there, Faidley said students leave their cars vulnerable to towing at their own expense.
“Our goal was to work with the management company to let the student drivers know the risks of parking at the private facility,” Faidley said. “We don’t have authority over that area.”
According to Stephen Cravitz of SJS Realty Management Inc., Cherry Hill, N.J., as more students continue to park there, they’re parking closer and closer to the CVS storefront. As a result, customers have begun to complain about the lack of convenient parking. CVS notified the property management of violations. To address the issue, SJS placed signs along the lot to warn of towing.
Cravitz says about 100 students are parking there regularly; dozens of cars were towed on Wednesday.
“We were hoping to only tow one car and the message would be received. The kids think they should be able to park there,” he said, explaining how he had no choice but to tow. He can’t risk shopping center business tenants moving out. The school needs to accommodate student parking,” he said, adding it was “chaos” today.
The towing began before the stores in the shopping center had opened.
With pressure coming from CVS corporate, Cravitz said he had to react – but probably would have turned a “blind eye” if no one had complained.
“Everyone turned their heads. It’s our problem so we handled it. We don’t look for confrontation; we need cooperation,” he said, acknowledging that the kids don’t have many options. “The school needs to come up with a solution. It’s the school’s problem and the township’s problem.”
The towing incident follows signage placed earlier this week, according to Cravitz.
“The reaction today was not good,” said Cravitz. “Tow trucks will be out there all week.”
Another site monitored by Colebrookdale Police Department, according to Faidley, is the 700 block of East 5th Street. That area is reserved for two-hour parking only, and students will be ticketed for parking there all day.
