New rules for cars at Pioneer Park start this weekend

This weekend fans will flock to Pioneer Park for the start of the annual Cowboys football season.

From the end of August through November, hundreds of youth football fans watch more than 15 games there every Saturday on three fields. There are more than 700 kids signed up for Arlington Cowboys tackle and flag football teams, said Hal Zabrin, a league representative.

"We're in our 44th year and the program has definitely grown," he said. "We're twice the size we were four years ago."

Because of the increase, parking in the residential area around Pioneer Park has become congested. This week the Arlington Heights village board unanimously approved new parking rules that go into effect immediately.

The changes affect Fairview Street, which is not wide enough to support parking on both sides of the street. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays parking will be prohibited on the south side of Fairview Street between Ridge and Patton avenues; the north side of Fairview Street between Ridge and Fernandez avenues and the north side Fairview Street between Kennicott and Patton avenues.

The parking restrictions will run from Aug. 1-Nov. 1.

People who live near Pioneer Park have been complaining about weekend street parking for years, said Tom Ponsot, the village's traffic engineer.

"The area does get a huge influx of traffic on the weekends," Ponsot said. "Maybe people can car pool or bring a bus so there isn't so many vehicles. It's tough when people park on both sides of the street. The street is only 32 feet wide and it wasn't designed for that."

Streets should be at least 39 feet wide to allow parking on both sides, he said.

Every Saturday the Cowboys have 15 to 16 games at Pioneer Park and another 12 games at Sunset Meadows Park. The Cowboys program moved games to Sunset last year to ease the congestion, Zabrin said.

"It will be an inconvenience and people may have to park farther away but I understand why (village officials) did this," Zabrin said. "People were parking illegally sometimes. This will be a safer environment."

Residents near the park were notified about the parking change and most agreed it was a good idea, said Village Manager Bill Dixon at Monday's village board meeting.