Parking Commission.

411 West First Street City of Duluth Duluth, Minnesota 55802 Minutes Parking Commission. Friday, September 8, 2023 7:30 AM Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall ROLL CALL Members Present • Mike Mayou • Branden Robinson, Vice President • Brandon Van Tassel • Robert Woods, President • Mark Bauer, Ex Officio Members Absent • Antonio Davis Guests Present • Carl Crawford, Human Rights Officer – City of Duluth • John Ramos, Investigative Reporter – Duluth Monitor • Mike Rasmusson, Duluth resident APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of August 2023 meeting minutes City of Duluth Parking Services Manager Mark Bauer presented the August 2023 Duluth Parking Commission meeting minutes for approval. Commission Vice President Branden Robinson motioned that the minutes be approved as presented. Commissioner Mike Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Public Comments There were no public comments in the initial public comment period. ON-STREET ACCESSIBLE PARKING ZONE REQUESTS On-street accessible parking zone requests Mr. Bauer presented two on-street accessible parking zone requests for approval. He stated that he had visited both sites, consulted with the applicants, and reviewed the requests with the City Commission on Disabilities. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the request for 502 North 22nd Avenue West be approved. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the request for 2802 Minnesota Avenue be approved. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. City of Duluth Page 1 Parking Commission. Minutes September 8, 2023 PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A 2-HOUR PARKING ZONE AT 1305 EAST 1ST STREET Proposal to establish a 2-hour parking zone at 1305 East 1st Street Mr. Bauer presented a proposal to establish a 2-hour parking zone at 1305, adjacent to Continental Ski and Bike. He described that the proposed zone would be the equivalent of four parking stalls in length and extend two stalls in either direction from the business’ driveway cut to their parking lot. He stated that the business owner had requested the zone due to overflow from the parking lot and in relation to vehicles remaining parked all day without the zone in place, rendering the stalls unavailable for his customers. Commissioner Robinson motioned that the proposal be approved. Commissioner Mayou seconded the motion, which was approved 4-0. OFF-STREET PARKING UPDATE Off-street parking update Mr. Bauer provided an update on off-street parking operations. He stated that the Mayor had recently committed to additionally funding for security and cleanliness needs in the public parking facilities. He stated that the parking Services Division was still on-track for a fall 2023 installation of an access control system at Hart District Ramp. Mr. Bauer stated that the Commission’s request for the Community Planning Division’s plan for public parking infrastructure in relation to potential parking facility sales had been transmitted to the division’s director but that he had not yet received a response. He stated that he would provide an update on parking facilities call for service and incident reporting for August 2023 in the next Commission meeting but that the pattern reported in the August meeting remained consistent. He stated that the weekly calls for service reports for Duluth Police Department calls and the monthly security incident reports from the contracted security vendor are shared among the parking vendor, Parking Services Manager, and DPD command staff. Commission President Robert Woods requested that the Parking Services Division continue to report to the Commission regarding the status of the parking vendor’s contract with the City and any future Request for Proposal plans regarding the contract. Commissioner Robinson expressed the need to address cleanliness issues, particularly related to stickers on railings, at Medical District Ramp. Mr. Bauer stated that the parking vendor will be addressing this and other items in the near future. ON-STREET PARKING UPDATE On-street parking update Mr. Bauer stated that he would provide a report on the 2024 proposed parking fund budget in the next Commission meeting and indicated that a 2024 public parking rates proposal would likely also be presented. He stated that the Parking Services office at City Hall was currently closed for construction but would reopen within a few weeks. Commissioner Woods inquired who provides repair and collections service for the City’s on-street parking meters. Mr. Bauer stated that these functions had been added to the parking vendor’s contract with the City. PUBLIC COMMENTS FOLLOW-UP City of Duluth Page 2 Parking Commission. Minutes September 8, 2023 Public comments follow-up Duluth resident and downtown worker Mike Rasmusson expressed several concerns regarding the safety and cleanliness of the downtown parking facilities, as well as how information related to those concerns is shared among the City and parking vendor. Mr. Bauer described the reporting methods and some of the challenges the City has faced in addressing the safety and cleanliness concerns, noting that a major contributor to challenges in implementation of lasting and meaningful solutions is lack of funding. He stated that the Parking Services Division shared Mr. Rasmusson’s frustrations and indicated an ongoing commitment to addressing the concerns within existing budgetary limitations and to identifying future funding possibilities to more directly and effectively combat the public safety and cleanliness challenges. City of Duluth Page 3