PARKING BOARD
MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
A meeting of the Salem Parking Board was held on Wednesday, September 12, 2011 at 4:00 pm. at 120 Washington Street, Salem, MA. Present were Mr. Caggiano, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Doggett and Mr. Bouchard. Also present was Parking Director James Hacker.
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Mr. Walsh made a motion to approve the minutes of August 17, 2011. Mr. Bouchard seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
Mr. Hacker presented a copy of the unapproved minutes of the last Task Force draft minutes.
2. REPORT ON REVENUES FOR PRIOR MONTH
Mr. Hacker reported on revenues. He stated that the Salem Willows meters for FY12 did approximately $1000 more for the year than during FY11. The Parking Garage Office Revenue for August was up 55% from FY11. The South Harbor Parking Garage Gate Revenue was down 7.6 %. Parking Lot Revenue ws down 5.5%. Parking Lots and Meter Revenue, except for Salem Willows, was up 1%.
3. OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Hacker stated they have lined the Derby Street lot in anticipation of the additional parking for Haunted Happenings and waiting to remove the chain link fence. They will start charging for parking some time this week. They will charge $5 or $10 per day in October and $20 on weekends until the carnival opens. The lot will be open similar to garage hours, 7am to dusk, and they will see what the demand is. He stated that afterwards, it would likely stay open up until midnight or 2am.
Shirley Walker stated that the police get people right out of the Goodyear lot right after the bars close (i.e. Murphy’s). She stated that Murphy’s closes at 12:45. She asked the number of spaces.
Mr. Hacker stated that it is between 40 and 50.
Ms. Walker stated that if the lot is open until 2:00 am, they can anticipate problems with noise and other things. She stated that there is prostitution on Lafayette Street. She suggested speaking with the License Board, talking to Chief Talker and talking to residents of Derby Lofts. She also suggested they consider ratcheting back the hours of lot to 1:00 am.
Marlene Faust stated that she is familiar with Murphy’s and that the owner does not like people parking in the Goodyear lot between 12 and 12:30. She stated that by 12:30, the police are in the lot. She noted that it has been a horrible problem with a lot of intoxicated youngsters yelling and screaming.. She suggested the lot be closed out by midnight. She stated that she felt they should park in the garage, not in Goodyear lot, which is not a public lot. She noted that she has written a letter to Goodyear, but to no effect.
Ms. Walker stated that she also spoke to the owner of Murphys and that he stated that he would let people know that they will get towed if parked in the Goodyear lot, even though no one is actually towing at Goodyear. She stated that if there are spaces for 40 cars at Hess, it will become a place to congregate. She suggested talking with the police.
Mr. Caggiano stated that he felt it was a social issue, not a parking issue. He posed the question that if someone is using heroin at Wendy’s, should Wendy’s be closed. He stated that he was concerned about employees of establishments not being able to park there.
Mr. Bouchard stated that the Chamber cannot enforce where people should park. He stated that the new lot is private lot.
Mr. Hacker stated that they are not sure what the demand will be. He stated that he has no issue contacting Chief Rucker for his input and that he will do so. He stated that they anticipate starting this week, with parking just until dusk. He added that they then hope to go to garage hours.
Mr. Caggiano asked how removing cars will be enforced.
Mr. Hacker stated that there will be signs and that there is the option of towing.
Mr. Doggett asked the criteria to determine rates and hours.
Mr. Hacker stated that $5 was chosen for now, and then when demand goes up, it will likely go up to $10 in order to be consistent with the garages, and go up to $20 for weekends that we are operating. He stated that after the carnival leaves, they will need to make a determination on rates. The carnival will be in for 2- 2 ½ weeks. He noted that during snow emergencies any downtown space is valuable. He added that demand will determine the hours of operation. They will need to determine if closing the lot at midnight and pull the employee is better or worse than staying open later and having a man to monitor and call police if necessary.
Mr. Walsh asked, if the lot is unattended, will there be a chain across so no one can get in.
Mr. Hacker stated that he has not thought about it. He stated that violation tickets will be issued, and if the vehicle remains, they will have the option of towing.
4. REVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PARKING TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS CITY COUNCIL ORDER REGARDING COMPREHENSIVE PARKING PLAN ISSUES
Mr. Caggiano distributed his brief written summary of the task force and discussion.
Mr. Hacker stated that the Task Force had asked him to check with the police about putting street addresses on Resident and Visitor passes. He stated that he spoke with Captain Gilligan, who had no problem with putting just the street name, not the house number. He stated that they will need to have an enforceable ordinance.
Mr. Hacker stated that with regard to adding a bar code, the new handhelds that meter readers use can be upgraded to a bar code, but the police do not have anything that will read them. He stated that the Collector’s had no issue, other than budgetary, because they just bought a lot of new passes.
Mr. Caggiano stated that the idea is to draft recommendations to send to the City Council. He stated that they can vote on some tonight and if they cannot get to all item, or they need more discussion or public meetings, they can ask the City Council for more time.
Snow emergencies
Mr. Caggiano stated that there was talk about a flat fee and that the garage rate was also suggested. He stated that if rates change at South Harbor as part of the new parking plan, there will be inconsistent pricing during snow emergencies. He stated that he thought they ought to revisit having a fixed price structure.
Mr. Hacker stated that when people know there is going to be snow, the garage fills up early. He noted that a lot of usage in garage during snow emergencies is people who park for convenience in order to keep their driveway clear for plowing or to keep their car clean. He stated that the idea is to lesson demand by increasing the rate.
Mr. Dogget asked if someone comes in at 9am, but snow emergency is scheduled for 2pm, what is their rate.
Mr. Hacker stated that it would be $1. He stated that they can’t charge two rates during the same time period (before and then during the snow emergency). He suggested doing away with the hourly rate during snow emergencies and just using the regular rates with pass cards and stamps accepted as normal. This could be put into effect immediately. He stated that, ultimately, the Museum Place Garage and South Harbor Garage rates are going to differ, and that this could be very confusing. He suggested 75 cents per hour in both locations. He noted that meters are not enforced during snow emergencies, except for the Church Street lot.
Mr. Bouchard agreed there needs to be a hourly rate, not a flat rate, so that it encourages people to go in later and leave earlier. He stated that he also thought the rate should be the same at both garages.
Mr. Doggett was in agreement.
Mr. Hacker stated that they would still honor cards and passes.
Maureen Faust stated that she felt the cost should be no less than the event rate of $20, which will separate those who need it from those who use it for convenience.
Ms. Walker stated that it is covered garage parking in a busy downtown. She stated that it should be fair and equitable and not confusing. She stated that she felt it should be a flat rate. She stated that she did not feel 75 cents per hour will be a deterrent.
Mr. Hacker stated that if they adopt $20, people will still fill up the garage early. He stated that if the emergency is called at 10am and they remove their vehicle at 10am the next day, with the .75 per hour rate, the cost would be $18. He stated that based on past practice, people come in early and stay later after the snow storm. He noted that after the first snow storm, when people wind up paying over $20 instead of just one dollar, it will create the incentive. He stated that people will realize that they have to move the car out of the garage as soon as the emergency is over.
Ms. Faust asked what happens to the rate if come in and stay past the snow emergency and they would be paying two different rates at the South Harbor Garage.
Mr. Hacker stated that they would have to allow some sort of grace period depending on the time it is lifted. For example, if it is lifted at 6pm, they would allow a grace period to the next morning. They can calculate it manually for the few cars left at South Harbor.
Ms. Walker asked if the parking plan provided the Parking Department with money for a computer system to manage parking in a different way.
Mr. Caggiano stated that the subject was not pertinent to the snow emergency discussion.
Jason Silva, member of the Task Force, stated that the hourly rate concept was discussed at the Task Forceto be a deterrent to people who stay too long, because people have come accustomed to paying up front early and staying as long as they want. He stated that he felt there was more of a consensus on the hourly rate concept. He stated that there is some validity to having one hourly rate for snow emergencies at both garages and that it seems like decent compromise.
Mr. Doggett stated that we have been asked to make recommendations to City Council and that the Parking Board is not creating policy.
Mr. Doggett made a motion to recommend that for snow emergencies there be one hourly rate of .75 at both garages and that notification be provided to the public as per Mr. Caggiano’s summary (hand out flyers directing vehicles to other lots when garages become full, suggest adding locations to the reverse 911 calls, notify residents of changes via excise, water, tax bill, etc. and that the Salem Police Department and the Department of Public Works be contacted to by the board to inquire about odd/even parking during snow emergencies to reduce demand for garages). Mr. Walsh seconded the motion.
Mr. Doggett stated that the other alternative is creating a situation of parking attendants having to ask whether or not they were in the garage for a snow emergency. He stated that parking attendants should not have to inquire why someone parked their car in the garage. If there is a per hour rate, the rate for snow emergencies goes into effect at a given time and you can put it on a bulletin board outside the teller’s booth.
Mr. Bouchard asked if there is a date when the city is rolling out new rates as part of parking study.
Mr. Hacker replied in the negative. He stated that he expected it will be rolled out in segments. He stated that it will take a couple weeks to get a programmer to come in to the change rate program. He noted that some tasks of parking study will require bids.
Mr. Doggett made an amendment to his motion to keep both garages at $1.50 per hour rate for snow emergencies if the parking garage rates don’t change as part of the parking study.
Mr. Walsh seconded the amendment.
Ms. Guy questioned why the board could not go with the $.75 per hour rate whether or not the new regular parking rates go through.
Mr. Hacker stated that the city not need to do anything on its part, since the $1.50 is the current rate at both garages.
Mr. Walsh stated that if they were to remove the current snow emergency rate, they would just need to post a sign saying there is no change in rate during snow emergencies and there would be no ordinance change. He stated that it if changed to .75 per hour for both garages, there will need to be an ordinance change.
Mr. Caggiano questioned if the regular rates don’t change, is the intention to reduce the rate during snow emergencies from $1.50 to $.75 per hour.
Ms. Guy stated that the intention is to not have the snow emergency rate be $1 flat rate.
Ms. Walker suggested, that in case the new regular rates don’t go into effect before Winter, it would be easier to go thru the upcoming season with no change and having $1.50 for regular and snow emergency rates at both garage rates. She stated that depending on the effective date of parking rate implementation, it could get sticky.
Mr. Walsh removed his second to the amendment. Mr. Doggett removed his amendment in order to keep the original motion of .75 which had been seconded by Mr. Walsh. All were in favor and the motion so carried.
Zoning required resident passes and dedicated or guaranteed parking
An email from Councillor Joan lovely to Mr. Hacker was read regarding reserve parking at South Harbor garage and stating that the Licensing subcommittee had no concensus.
Ms. Walker stated that Order 359 in the June 12, 2008 minutes went to the City Council Subcommittee on Administration and Finance and then to Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs in January, 2010. She asked if it is still open.
Mr. Caggiano stated that the big question is who would pay, if there is any demand.
Mr. Hacker stated that at Council there was overwhelming non-support for guaranteed space and that it went to committee and died there.
Ms. Silva stated that he thought it may have been even been resubmitted twice.
Councillor Bob McCarthy stated that the A & F looked at and felt there were too many questions concerning the garage having been funded with remediation money for spaces lost at Riley Plaza. He stated that OLLA had a lot of things in committee that they did not take action on and it was the will of the committee to move inactive orders out of committee with no recommendations and that if someone wanted to bring it any of the orders back, they could.
Mr. Silva stated that he recalled there were outstanding questions, but even if answered, he did not think there was much support on the Council.
Ms. Walker stated that she was surprised to see a long chain of events and never knew the result. She questioned if there was something in writing saying that it guaranteed spacing is not possible or the Council not wanting to move forward.
Mr. Caggiano asked if Ms. Walker would you pay $1200 for guaranteed parking.
Ms. Walker stated that for this year she would.
Mr. Bouchard made a motion to recommend no changes with regard to dedicated or guaranteed spaces. Mr. Doggett seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
October parking
Mr. Caggiano stated that it seemed as though the consensus was that no major changes are needed.
Mr. Walsh stated that the input was that it was kind of late in the year and to put it aside for further discussion.
Mr. Doggett made a motion to recommend no changes with regard to October parking. Mr. Walsh seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
Tour busses
Mr. Caggiano stated that Kate Fox and Mr. Bouchard were present at the Task Force and that Ms. Fox was going to look into a few things, but did not recommend there be any changes this season.
Mr. Doggett stated that he felt they should look at it in the future.
Mr. Doggett made a motion to request additional time from the City Council in order to consider how tour busses are to be handled, and to make no long term recommendations at this time. Mr. Walsh seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
Councillor McCarthy stated that on Hawthorne Boulevard, there is a tour bus spot that is now on wrong side of road due to the changes at Derby/Congress and the change to the one way on a portion of Hawthorne Boulevard. He stated that the two spots need to be moved and meters moved across the street. He stated that Father Murphy of the Immaculate Conception is in agreement. He stated that he has also received a complaint from the Wax Museum where one of tour bus spots is directly in front of business, blocking the businesses. There is also a major crosswalk there which creates a safety hazards. He suggested it be move in front of the cemetery wall or be eliminated and the space in front of the businesses be metered for parking. He stated that these need to occur in next month.
City Councillor Jean Pelletier suggested contacting Destination Salem and Salem Main Streets on where tour busses should park.
Mr. Hacker stated that the two changes will require an ordinance change. He suggested the Councilor put in an order to swap the locations on Hawthorne Boulevard. He stated that, for now, he suggested having the Salem Police put a no parking sign at the New Derby street bus location. He stated that they don’t have the ability to install a meter in time.
Mr. Doggett made a motion to recommend immediate addressing the safety issues by switching the bus parking on Hawthorne Boulevard and by relocated the one in front of the Wax Museum to a location in front of the cemetery. Mr. Walsh seconded the motion.
Mr. Bouchard stated that his concern was that all tour operators have already received a bus parking map for this season.
Mr. Silva stated that the City has received multiple complaints from tour bus operators about the spots at Hawthorne Boulevard. He stated that there will be no net loss; the spots will move across street and cars would be allowed to park at the former bus spots.
Councillor McCarthy stated that Hawthorne Boulevard is a safety issue and is the result of redoing the traffic light. He stated that he will introduce an ordinance change. He stated that in front of the cemetery is also a safety issue. He stated that if it can’t be moved, it needs to be eliminated. He stated that the broader issue is if there should be drop off areas during the day.
The motion was voted upon, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
Resident sticker program
Councillor McCarthy stated that there are multiple issues with resident sticker parking. He stated that there are absentee owners who own an unit but don’t live in the community, but need to come in and get rid of trash or do maintenance. He suggested the owner have a permanent visitor pass for the location.
Mr. Hacker recommend they recommend that the Parking Director be allowed to issue day or weekly passes for extenuating circumstances for landlords, hospice, etc.. He stated that it is impossible to cover every situation by ordinance. He stated that if he has the authority to issue passes, it would help resolve some of the situations.
Councillor McCarthy stated that there are a lot of gray areas. There is a doctor doing his residencey at Salem Hospital, but whose car is registered in Maine. He is concerned about issuing a resident sticker for a Maine car, but feels there is a need.
Mr. Salvo stated that the current Ordinance allows City Councilors to use their discretion; therefore there is something already in place. He stated that every scenario cannot be legislated. He stated that it could be changed to allow passes to be issued “in consultation with the Parking Director”.
Councillor McCarthy stated that if a constituent gets to him, it means they have already been denied by city staff and told that the only recourse is to their councilor. He then will write a letter. He questioned if there is some language that would make the blow easier, noting he gets lambasted if he puts a sticker on out of state registration.
Mr. Caggiano stated that Captain Gilligan had no objection to putting the street name on the passes.
Mr. McCarthy stated that he gets more complaints from owners who want to do some maintenance on their property, who now have to get the guess pass from their tenant.
Mr. Caggiano suggested having a landlord pass to be issued at the Parking Director’s discretion.
Mr. Hacker stated that it could be issued through the City Collectors Office when they give out regular passes.
Rich Viscay, Finance Director, stated that resident parking stickers have moved from the City Clerk’s Office to the Collectors Office. He cautioned expanding the program, noting it is already a difficult program to manage. He stated that he felt two visitor passes per unit is sufficient. He felt a landlord pass would be dangerous ground from an administrative standpoint.
Councillor McCarthy suggested putting the issue on hold for now. He stated that if the Police Department is willing to go with putting the street name on passes, it is a good start.
Mr. Hacker stated that the second biggest complaint he gets is the misuse of the visitor passes. He stated that there are cases where they are sold. He suggested the landlord be able to come to my office to get pass for day.
Councillor McCarthy stated that more time is needed on these issues.
Mr. Walsh stated that he thought they could go ahead with putting the street name on the passes. He stated that they would need to come up with a distance for enforcement by the Police Department.
Mr. Viscay stated that he thought it would be tough to enforce, noting it is very subjective. He stated that putting a street name on sticker is not a big deal, but questioned who is to judge the distance. He stated that he believed the biggest issue is the area around the courthouse, which is a large zone. He stated that the Collector feels the courthouse area should become its own zone. He questioned how the City can defend a ticket if person is within the zone, when there is an issue of distance. He stated that the program has come a long way, noting that it is now being enforced. He stated that they are judicious about giving people the right stickers and rectifying issues that come up. He suggested being careful not to create more regulations.
Councillor McCarthy stated that he felt the implementation of program needs to be tied to the street, particularly with visitor passes. He stated that if you are in Willows, you should not be able to park on Hawthorne Boulevard.
Mr. Walsh stated that the police want something of substance which will give them a reason to ticket the car.
Coucillor McCarthy suggested asking the City Council for more time. He stated that putting the street name on the passes could help.
Mr. Bouchard stated that if a resident has a resident pass and their family visits for day and they want to all go out to eat somewhere else, they can’t use the visitor pass to leave their car there, since they would not currently be visiting the location.
Councillor McCarthy stated that the issue is getting the guest pass and parking the car anywhere you want due to the size of the zones.
Mr. Viscay stated that the reality factor is that it is never going to be enforceable. He stated that the problem is the size of the zones.
Mr. Caggiano stated that subzones have been suggested.
Mr. Viscay stated that he is not suggesting that either. He agreed that abuse is a problem, but did not know if it can ever be solved. He stated that he did not want to take a small problem and change regulations to stop a few people who buck the system.
Mr. Walsh suggested having just one resident sticker for all Salem residents.
Mr. Caggiano asked if you have a resident sticker to park in front of your house, does that give you the right to park in front of my house to visit the restaurant next door that is within the same zone.
Mr. Bouchard stated that is why he thought putting the street name and set a distance would solve that.
Mr. Caggiano stated that he felt it needs more discussion.
Mr. Doggett stated they have created a pass that gives permission for something that does not exist – a parking space. He stated that people assume they have a place to park when they don’t – so they really have something which has no value whatsoever. He stated that there is a city in New Hampshire that has a resident pass, for a fee for those who want to park their car other than their driveway, use the dump or go to the beach. He did not feel it was far-fetched to roll all the passes into one (i.e. Winter Island, parking, etc).
Mr. Hacker stated that he felt the construction pass discussion falls in with the visitor pass discussion.
Mr. Doggett made a motion to request from the City Council for more time to discuss resident and visitor passes, construction passes and long term tour busses. Mr. Bouchard seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried
4. NEXT MEETING
The next meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2011.
There being no further business, Mr. Bouchard made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Doggett seconded the motion, all were in favor and the motion so carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane A. Guy
Secretary
| 
