HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council discussed, but took no action, on a request by Councilman Steve Dechant to change the configuration of South Main from C Avenue to Carey Park. Dechant wants the street restriped similar to East Avenue A, which would eliminate two lanes of traffic, install bike lanes and change to parallel parking.

The council delayed action so that business and property owners along the corridor have a say in the proposal. The delay can’t be a long one. Jeff Petersen of Public Works says they need to have an answer by July 4. The issue could stir up significant discussion from both sides. A similar proposal for most of Main street four years ago was met with staunch opposition.

“I’m an advocate of the strong town’s philosophy, but there are a lot of people that are just punching and punching out from their daily job at Tyson or some of these businesses that don’t care at all about this,” Jade Piros de Carvalho said. “We have to care about their opinions as well.”

Piros de Carvalho wanted to know if such a proposal would be better than what is offered up in the hike and bike trail master plan developed several years ago. That and other studies recently conducted show a need for better access to city parks. But Mayor Dave Inskeep says such an addition needs to be considered. “We talk about subsidizing the Salt City Splash and one of the arguments I heard was improper placement in the first place,” Inskeep said. “We can’t undo the fact that’s in Carey Park, but we might make it a little more accessible.”

Some of the other concerns about the change included a large amount of truck traffic on South Main and the interchange with the Frank Hart Crossing.

With that, the council decided to wait until the July 2 meeting to make a decision on the street.