By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Thanks to an agreement between city officials and the American Mathematical Society, residents of the neighborhood surrounding the McKinnon-Alves Soccer Complex should be relieved of the parking problems that have typically occurred during the fall soccer season.

Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle announced on Thursday that through a collaborative effort between he and District 3 Councilor Henry Kinch Jr., the American Mathematical Society will make their 57-space parking lot at 35 Monticello Place available during Saturday soccer games. The lot is located off Monticello Road and is adjacent to the regular lot for the McKinnon-Alves complex.
Since the soccer complex was constructed three years ago, parking on Saturday mornings has been a problem for the members of the Pawtucket Youth Soccer Association. Especially during the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., the soccer facility’s 65-space lot fills up quickly and becomes congested, so parents have been parking on the streets surrounding the field.
Pawtucket Planning Director Michael Cassidy said that since the first year, the Parks and Recreation Department has tried to ease the congestion by scheduling the soccer games with half hour intervals in between. However, while the scheduling helped, residents still complained to city officials about the cars being parked in front of their homes.
Doyle, at a press conference with Beth Huber, American Mathematical Society’s Associate Executive Editor for
Publishing, and Pat Hickey, Facilities Manager, thanked the company for its generosity and presented them with a citation from the Mayor’s Office. “A wonderful business has become a wonderful partner,” said Doyle.
Kinch, who said he had met with several of the neighbors last year to discuss the parking issues, said, “I really think this will be the answer we are looking for.” He noted that the PYSA season was scheduled to kick off today, and said he planned on being there to monitor the parking situation.
Under the terms of the agreement, the American Mathematical Society lot will be open on Saturdays only during the fall soccer season. The City of Pawtucket will be responsible to open and secure the lot, clean any trash left behind, assume liability for damage and any personal injury that may occur and remove any abandoned vehicles before securing the lot each Saturday.
Kinch said that members of the Pawtucket Youth Soccer Association have volunteered to staff the lot when it opens to direct people where to park.
Cassidy said that the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency also has an agreement from Rhode Island Textile, which is purchasing a parcel of land on Dean Street at the other end of the McKinnon-Alves complex, to provide access to 100 parking spaces for the soccer patrons as well. The company is planning to build an addition on to an existing facility.

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