A Torrington commissioner asked the Board of Public Safety on Dec. 3 to address recurring illegal parking in front of a fire hydrant near a bar on Main Street, saying the sign location encourages drivers to leave vehicles next to the hydrant.

"They're parking in front of that hydrant constantly," the commissioner said, urging the sign be moved so drivers do not park between the sign and the corner. The concern centered on impeded emergency access in the event of a daytime fire.

Police acknowledged prior enforcement and said they would take action. "I'll have Sergeant Baldus get on that, that parking sign, get that moved," a police representative told the board.

The meeting also focused on repeated congestion during afternoon student pickup at Saint Paul's School, where cars parked on both sides of Prospect Street force other vehicles into the oncoming lane. Police said they have been coordinating with school security and principals and will continue to monitor the site; a planned municipal parking lot near Christmas Village that is expected to open by the holidays was cited as a potential partial solution to teacher parking and drop-off backups.

Board members asked staff to continue enforcement and to follow up with school administrators and Sergeant Baldus to track whether the sign relocation and new parking lot reduce the hazards.

No formal enforcement motion was taken at the meeting; staff pledged to act administratively on the signage and monitoring.