Regular Meeting
The regular meeting of the
Morgantown Parking Authority was held at
PRESENT: Chairman Ernest Fortuna, Vice-Chairman
McEwuen and
ABSENT:
OTHERS PRESENT: Terry Cutright,
Matt Kenehan, WVU Journalism Student
Chairman Ernest Fortuna called the meeting to order at
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Upon a motion by Mr. Byrne,
seconded by Mr. Papandreas and approved by unanimous vote, the minutes of the
regular meeting of
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
“Customer Only” Parking Zone:
Mr. Arnold has been working with
In October 2005 a meeting was held regarding the “Customer Only” zone. Everyone in the room was in agreement that an ordinance was needed. Ms. Cutright requests that the Authority goes forward with this parking zone and make it a reality. Mr. Arnold said that every block on High Street has its own individual violators. Some of the violators include downtown residents and some are owners and employees of the downtown. Most of these violators have parking permits for the garages but choose to park as close to their destinations as possible.
Mr. Byrne asked if the City had an ordinance on extended parking and if there is one then it should be enforced. Ms. Cutright said that there is an extended parking ordinance and if it is enforced then it will include customers and visitors, which is what she wanted to avoid. Mr. Byrne believes the definition “customer” is misleading because downtown employees can be a visitor of another establishment.
Mr. Arnold discussed vehicles
that “hop-scotch” to different spaces downtown.
They move from one parking space to another just to avoid the time
parking ticket. He said this happens
quite often in the parking spaces in front of the Mediterranean Market and the
lot across from the
Mr. Arnold said the fine amount for this violation should be higher than a regular expired meter ticket. He suggested the first fine be $5, second fine be $10, third fine be $25 and $25 every time after that. Mr. McEwuen said that some people don’t care about the amount of the fine and the fine should be $100 the first time. He said that the Authority stands a greater risk of giving ticket to customers. Mr. Cutright recommends that the Parking Authority not to make any changes at this time or go ahead and try this to see if it works, however, before issuing tickets she would like to see warnings issued first.
NEW BUSINESS:
High Street Streetscape
Construction Project and
Ms. Cutright said she doesn’t want to lose any customers
in the downtown because of the High Street Streetscape. She has been working with the City Manager
who said to have fun with the construction on High Street and make fun of it.
The cost of the Godzilla campaign is $9,000.
Mr. Papandreas said parking will be very rough during this time. He would like to offer his customers a coupon to help pay for their parking. Mr. Arnold said the coupons would be available in the Parking Authority office.
Greater Convention Bureau:
Mr. Arnold received a letter from Jay Redmond of the Greater Convention Bureau requesting parking considerations for the Mountaineer Triathlon and Mountainfest Motorcycle Rally. He has concerns with increasing the amount of free parking from last years request because this program is not for a non-profit organization. Mr. McEwuen said other towns that hosts motorcycle rallies donates parking spaces and open their arms to the bikers as an effort to facilitate the bikers. After a brief discussion it was agreed to give the same parking spaces as last year and not to allow the use of Lot A for this event.
Banking Services for Authority Revenue Collections:
Mr. Arnold received a letter from First Exchange Bank stating the 3-year contract between the Parking Authority and the back is about to expire. The bank stated they would initiate a $900 per year fee for handling the daily coins. However, there will not be a fee for this service as long as the Authority maintains $300,000 in its account on a daily basis.
Mr. Arnold said he would like to avoid paying $10,800 per year for the handling fee. He would like the Authority be included with the City’s new banking contract. Mr. Fortuna said that the Authority collects a huge amount of coins and believes that $900 per month is a good price for handling the money. Mr. Arnold said the Parking Authority needs a bank that will provide carrier service. This carrier service will not include picking up the coins that were collected from the meters because the staff members will continue to deliver the collected coins to the bank.
Future of Residential Parking Permits in MPA Garages:
Mr. Arnold said he would like the Morgantown Parking
Authority to have a plan in place for accommodating future residential
development in the downtown. Approximately
800 parking spaces will be needed for the 1000-bed facility being constructed
on
Mr. Arnold
doesn’t want to tie up all of the parking spaces downtown for residential
parking. He said with the limited number
of parking spaces downtown the Authority will only be able to provide fifty
spaces in both the
There is an
11-acre surface lot in Westover that may be used for a “park and ride” program. Mr. Arnold will research this and update the
members at the next meeting. The
OTHER MATTERS:
Parking Brochures:
Mr. Arnold has been working with
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned
at
_____________________________ ______________________________
DATE Ernest Fortuna, Chairman
Prepared by: _____________________________________
Dianna L. Kovalcheck