ATHOL – Motorists visiting downtown Athol won’t have to feed the parking meters – at least until Oct. 3.
That was the unanimous decision of the Selectboard at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Meter fees were to resume that day, but continuing road and bridge work in and around downtown Athol prompted the board to extend the policy.
The board voted at its Sept. 2 meeting to suspend downtown parking meters. The issue first arose when several motorists complained that the reconstruction of the parking lot at Lord Pond Plaza required them to park at the meters along Exchange Street. The Selectboard opted not to suspend the meter fees solely along Exchange Street and instead lifted them throughout downtown.
Before discussing the matter, the board heard from Paula Robinson, chair of the Downtown Vitality Committee, who argued in favor of reinstating the meter fees. She said that availability of parking spaces is “crucial” to downtown businesses
“By implementing parking meters, Athol can ensure that parking spaces are not monopolized by a few vehicles for extended periods,” said Robinson.
The two-hour limit imposed by the meters, she continued, “increases the availability of parking for customers, leading to higher foot traffic and potentially boosting local commerce.”
Robinson added that if the enforcement of the meters in reinstated, the funds collected can be reinvested into the community, improving infrastructure, downtown streetscape conditions, and other services.
The Selectboard traditionally suspends parking meter fees during the holiday season to promote shopping in downtown. The lasts from just before Thanksgiving until after the first of the January.
Selectboard Chair Rebecca Bialecki said that construction activity in and around downtown is leading to higher demand for parking spaces in the area.
“We’re still in the midst of this high construction season,” she said. “If we went to Oct. 3, which is when we’re looking to at least have the Crescent Street bridge open, that might be an option we could consider for right now and not take a lot of revenue away from parking. That might still alleviate some of the problem.”
Board member Mitch Grosky said that the two-hour parking limit was still in effect even without the meters, as violators would be ticketed.
“I do think it’s important that we do more outreach to the townspeople to let them know there is a two-hour limit,” he said. “I think a lot of people think that free parking means they can park there as long as they want.”
The board also heard from Gary Deyo, chair of the Downtown Parking Benefits District Oversight Committee. Members of that committee expressed frustration that they hadn’t been consulted prior to the Selectboard’s decision on Sept. 2, and some were concerned the board might move to eliminate the parking fees entirely.
“We wanted to know what your commitment was,” Deyo said, “because we’re trying to move forward with signs and a mobile app and other things to make it more convenient for the people in town.”
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.