City visitors park free
Syracuse Post-Standard
Meghan Rubado
November 4th, 2008
The six-month trial applies to the first hour in downtown garages.
Downtown Syracuse visitors soon will be able to park free in five city garages.
The Common Council Monday unanimously passed a six-month trial program called "Park on Us." The program will offer free one-hour garage parking to those visiting downtown shops, restaurants and cultural venues. Visitors will pay $1 for the second hour. Shops will have stamps to validate parking coupons.
The program should be available to visitors by Nov. 17, said Tim Carroll, the city's director of operations.
"We should have all the stamps and the promotional material out by then," Carroll said.
The Downtown Committee is working on a mailing to notify business owners of the plan. Those letters will go out next week. The city also is distributing stamps.
The program was pitched by Mayor Matt Driscoll last month as a way to start improving downtown parking. The plan was based on recommendations from the Downtown Parking Study Steering Committee.
Another part of Driscoll's plan also was approved Monday by a 7-1 vote. The plan changes a city ordinance to allow parking garages to use closed-circuit camera surveillance and emergency call boxes in place of security personnel. It also authorizes garages to use gated, card-access entry rather than security personnel. The goal is to entice garage owners to stay open later and to accommodate downtown residents with overnight parking.
Councilor Pat Hogan voted against the ordinance change. He said he wasn't convinced that visitors would be safe enough without security staff present. Councilor Stephanie Miner was absent from the voting session.
Energy study approved
The council voted unanimously to approve a contract for a feasibility study of municipal power in Syracuse. The consultant on the contract is Source One Inc., and the cost is not to exceed $150,000.
Supporters who believe public power could save city residents and business owners as much as $40 million a year attended the vote. They included representatives from Syracuse United Neighbors, the Peace Council and the CNY Public Power Coalition. Congressional candidate Howie Hawkins also attended. Hawkins, the Green Populist candidate, said he was pleased to see the council vote on the contract.
"It's taken awhile to get the council and the city behind it," Hawkins said. "You've got to stay on top of things like this."
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