SOUTH PORTLAND — The City Council continues to mull the shortage of parking in Knightville and possible solutions to the problem.

“The question is, do we open up city parking lots for public (overnight) parking?” Councilor Tom Blake said in a workshop on Monday. 

Some of those spots could include the lot at Willard Beach, about 10 spaces in Legion Square, and 32 spaces along Waterman Drive. 

Hall also proposed seeking input from city and district staff to examine the possibility of  allowing residents to use school parking lots.

The parking spaces on Waterman Drive, created last year to provide parking for employees of neighborhood businesses, have been criticized for their inconvenience; they are between E and C streets, west of Legere Park, three blocks from businesses on Ocean Street.

City Manager Jim Gailey acknowledged this reality. “We’re all creatures of habit and creatures of convenience,” he said, “and I think one thing we need to look at is providing a quicker walk from those spaces to the business district.”

A quicker walk might involve “some kind of break in the (park) fence,” and a “nice park pathway,” he said.

The council will further discuss the issue in the spring. 

“Of course we’re never going to find spots to satisfy the problem,” Councilor Claude Morgan said. “But if we can take some of the overflow and some of the stressors, it has always bugged me in places I’ve lived where a city tells you what you can’t do, but doesn’t provide a solution.”

A possible solution worth considering, he said, might be a shuttle service for Knightville employees. 

Alex Acquisto can be reach at 781-3661 ext. 106 or aacquisto@theforecaster.net. Follow Alex on Twitter: @AcquistoA.