DLHS Students Voice Concerns About Parking Situation Near High School

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – Parking restrictions on city streets and snow pile-filled parking lots are leaving some students at Detroit Lakes High School scrambling to find a parking spot.

Jack Mears started a Change.org petition on Monday, December 19th concerning limited parking at DLHS. He says something needs to be done about spots limited by snow removal and permit-only restrictions near the high school.

“There is very limited parking with or without snow,” writes Mears. “Opening up the streets for parking and moving the massive snow piles out of the parking lot would help a ton with this issue.”

Last May, the Detroit Lakes City Council re-established restrictions for parking on side streets around the high school including James, Langford, Granger, North Shore, Robert, and Parkview intersections with Madison, Lyndale, and Roosevelt between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.

“Those were existing areas that were approved by previous councils, so this would basically just ratify the previous actions taken by the council,” said City Administrator Kelsey Klemm said last May. “The ordinance allows changes to be made, either subtraction or addition, by resolution. Those were existing areas that were approved by previous councils, so this would basically just ratify the previous actions taken by the council. The ordinance allows changes to be made, either subtraction or addition, by resolution.”

“There really wasn’t a problem because we used to have the signs in those same areas, and then when the school went under construction for the last couple of years,” Mayor Matt Brink said. “All the kids and the construction workers started moving out into the neighborhoods and it just sort of carried over.”

But now, with giant snow mounds taking up parking spots, and students receiving parking tickets for parking in permit-only areas, students are looking for answers on where they can park when the lot is full.

“We understand that parking on side streets is a safety issue,” wrote Ross Hansen on the Change.org page.  “Whoever has the snow contract at the school needs to either haul out those piles or push them further back.”

“The City plows snow into our parking lot, then tickets and fines us for parking on the street,” wrote Reece Johnson. “Where else are we supposed to park? It’s getting too cold to park by the football field and walk all the way in.”