Dear Editor,

I have nothing against anyone in St. Clairsville, but I am a handicapped person. I have lived there for 30 years. I look normal because I was part-time and park close to home when I can. I work until 5 p.m. When I come home, all the parking spaces are empty.

When I go to the doctor’s office or run errands during the day, I come home and there is no place to park. In the summer I can park behind the building, but during the winter, the alley to the parking lot is ice. I have back and knee problems from a fall, and have been told that if I fell and landed on a hard surface, I could become crippled. I’ve lived here 30 years and didn’t want to leave until now. I’ve fought to get a handicapped parking space at the end of the block. We have people working on the building next door. Unfortunately the parking space is adjacent to their property. There are people there, who are parking there with no handicapped placards always. When I come home then during the day there are no parking places, as it is downtown. I have a placard, but it is not honored.

They cut parking places off and the handicap space is left. I’ve talked to policemen twice, and no action has been taken. Now I can park behind the building as there is no ice, but in the winter I can’t. No one else goes behind the building, although we have one other tenant who are retired and don’t work and don’t move their car as much. I am trying to move, but can’t find a place right now. Is St. Clairsville so perfect that they don’t want handicapped people? Do I have to risk falling because no one wants to leave the handicapped space? These are three or four spaces that belong to the building, however they don’t use them.

I’m sorry, if I am in this condition, because I don’t dwell on it or if I ruffle feathers and don’t want to be crippled permanently.

Penny Hughes

St. Clairsville