The Auburn City Council on Monday evening took a step toward alleviating the traffic problem around Auburn School by voting to make the area across from the school a no parking zone.

The area on the east side of College Street from the Presbyterian Church parking lot to the railroad will be a no parking zone as soon as the city is able to put up signs, according to Mayor Dewey Roche.

The council has discussed safety and traffic issues for a few months and have talked to school leaders about what can be done. Auburn resident Grover Corum had expressed concerns about the safety of people parking on the east side of College Street and then letting their children cross the street to get to the school.

“I think it would be great to make that no parking from the railroad down to the church parking lot,” Roche told the council at Monday night’s meeting. The council agreed.

The council, along with law enforcement and school officials, have also been looking at ways to improve the traffic flow around the school, especially during drop off and pick up times.

“We’re going to try our best to do something by next school year,” Roche said.

Auburn Principal David Ward said he is well aware of the situation, but their options are limited given the location of the school and the size of the property.

Ward said he had talked to Auburn Police Chief Scott Harmon and told him that it would be very helpful to have an officer stationed at the school during the morning and afternoon. Ward said he and other school leaders will continue to seek ways to improve the traffic situation around the school.

“We are continually looking for ways to improve safety,” Ward said.

In other action, the council heard an update on the skate park from Councilman Mike Hughes. Hughes said they have received the grant money and have been studying insurance and liability issues. He’s also seen some samples of equipment and materials.

Hughes said the site for the skate park, located at the Auburn Park, has been cleared and is ready for some concrete work.

The skate park will not have a fence around it, Hughes said.

“The fences get torn up and they become jagged and they’re more of a danger,” he explained. Instead there will be a 10-foot grassy area surrounding the park.

Roche said he hopes work on the skate park can begin soon with possible completion by mid-summer.

The council also briefly discussed the water pressure issues that have been talked about at past meetings. Some residents of Peterson Avenue, where water pressure is an issue, were in attendance at the meeting.

Roche said that the water pressure in the area has been checked and is within what the city has to provide by law.

“But that may not be enough,” he added.

“We’re going to try to get you satisfied,” Roche told the Peterson Avenue residents. “We’ve got an engineer working on it.”

Also concerning Peterson Avenue, the council discussed possible plans for a duplexes on the street right at the city limits.

The council also:

•Voted to purchase a new tapping machine for the water and sewer department at a cost of $1,095; and

•Agreed to put up some fence around portions of the maintenance area at the city park where equipment is stored.