WEST YORK, Pa. -- The York Fair will have a new addition when it kicks off on Friday: more parking spaces. But some people who live near the fairgrounds are still not happy about the parking situation.
Fair officials are adding about 750 parking spots on the grounds. There will be extra parking inside Gate 6 at Highland Avenue and on the paved lot west of Memorial Hall, along with extra parking in the infield area.
Michael Froehlich, the general manager for the York Fair, said, "We're trying to make it more convenient to park on grounds. If you win that big teddy bear or you win that carnival animal, you can take it back to your car and come back and enjoy the fair."
Some people who live near the fairgrounds said the fair only brings trouble for their neighborhood. Tricia Miller said many people who attend the fair will litter their yards. Fairgoers also park on Filbert Street in West York, instead of paying the $7 to park at the fairgrounds.
Miller said, "It's good to hear that, but it's also people do not want to pay the price to go in and park. Why do that when you can park here for free?"
She said some neighbors really need parking right in front of their homes.
"Our neighbor Pat, she is wheelchair bound. And for her one day during the fair, my neighbor came to park here and he couldn't because somebody ended up taking their parking spot with their own handicap tag. So he had nowhere to get his wife out of the car," she said.
Fair officials still say adding the extra spaces to the fair should be beneficial for everyone.
Froehlich said, "I think everyone is going to do pretty well because just by the sheer number that we draw. A lot of the people that have disabilities is more convenient if they get closer to the grounds, so there's a lot of good I think it's going to do."
Neighbors said they asked West York Borough to do something about the parking situation when the fair comes into town, but said they haven't done anything about it.
The fair kicks off on Friday. Neighbors are eager to see if the situation will improve.