Parking meters considered for garage

by Aaron Reincheld
Staff Writer

Drivers looking for an escape from parking meters might not be able to find refuge in the parking garage for much longer.

The Athens City Council Parking and Transportation Committee is considering recommending the installation of meters in the Athens City Parking Garage, located on College and Washington streets. Revenue is down at the garage and installing meters could reverse that trend and save money on labor costs, said Councilwoman Carol Patterson, D-2nd Ward.

"Something needs to be done," she said. "The current system has loopholes to allow people to park there for $2 a day."

Putting in meters would make the system better, Patterson said. Within three years, the project should pay for itself.

The estimated cost of installing about 290 meters in the garage is around $110,000. But the cost can be reduced to about $60,000 if the city uses three- or four-head meters instead of single-head meters, said Mayor Ric Abel.

"It's too much to give up when we're $1.5 million in debt for the garage," Abel said of not installing the meters.

The amount of time a driver could buy on one of the meters would vary by garage's floors. On the lower levels, drivers could buy up to two hours on the meters and on the top levels, meters could have up to 10 hours, Patterson said.

The committee also discussed a "smart card" meter system. With this type of meter, plastic cards with a set value on them could be purchased from the city's utilities office and swiped at the meters instead of inserting change, Patterson said.

"There's no reason to get a ticket if you have one of these cards," Abel said.

A driver would only have to pay for the time he or she is parked at the meter, eliminating overpaying if a car is parked only for a short time, he said.

Councilwoman Nancy Bain, D-2nd Ward, said she was concerned that the system could break down, and said she would like to see more details before an ordinance is introduced to council.

Council members decided to discuss the issue again at a future meeting.