City parking Q&A session draws dozens

The city’s plan to begin charging for previously free downtown parking drew dozens of area residents to a question-and-answer session with the city parking manager.

Most of the questions for parking manager Norman Hale on Wednesday evening dealt with how the changes would affect businesses and workers with reserved parking spaces.

“We certainly consider all requests and recommendations,” Hale said after the meeting.

Concerns swirled around the midtown parking deck, which under current proposals would begin charging for public spaces and do away with the concept of individually reserved parking spots.

Adrienne Blankenship, who works for E Z Data, housed in the Bank of the James building, said she and her co-workers rely on their reserved spaces, in part because of their staggered schedules.

“It’s going to be difficult for us to find a spot,” she said.

Hale countered by noting that the parking deck is nowhere near filled to capacity on any given day, and the city would be better served by customers paying for general access to a city lot, rather than reserving one particular space that could go unused for more than half of every day.

Georgia Southern Deli owner Robert Stern questioned the proposal of charging customers for parking with the expecta-tion the business they visit will validate their tickets.

“As long as they keep the first hour free,” he said, “I have no problem with that.”

But if that were ever to change, Stern said, he wouldn’t be able to afford paying a parking fee for every customer.

“My profit margin’s a dollar and a half, two dollars, and (if) I’ve got to pay a dollar,” he said, “it wouldn’t be feasible for me to stay downtown.”

Dennis Howard, chairman of the parking authority, said the meeting served its purpose and organizers expected con-cerns like those voiced Wednesday.

“If there were an easy solution, we’d already have done it,” Howard said.