Parking Advisory Committee

Committee Members Staff to the Committee Chairperson Pamela Steele Christine Marques, Director of ECD Vice-Chair Carrie Carella Brian Gartner, Community Development Specialist Roger Beliveau, Parking Department Members Councilman Darnell Ford Councilwoman Leslie Spatola Dominick DeMartino Alandra Maine Vacant PARKING ADVISORY COMMITTEE MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2024 – 5:00 PM MINUTES A Regular Meeting of the Parking Advisory Committee of the City of Middletown was held on Tuesday, October 8 th 2024 at 5:00 PM. This meeting was a hybrid meeting with in-person participation in Room #208 of the Municipal Building and remote access via WebEx. Members in attendance – Chairwoman Steele, Vice-Chair Carella, Councilwoman Spatola, Dominick DeMartino, Alandra Maine Staff in attendance – Christine Marques, Michael Fullam 1. Call to Order – Chairwoman Steele called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. 2. Approval of Minutes – MOTION made by C. Carella, seconded by D. DeMartino to APPROVE the minutes of the September 8th 2024 meeting, and passed unanimously. 3. Public Session - None 4. New Business –  Chairwoman Steele informs the committee members that Trevor Davis has resigned from the Parking Advisory Committee. New committee member needed, must be downtown business owner or resident.  D. DeMartino raises a question about the parking spaces adjacent to the Hospital on Main Street Extension, Crescent Street and the following area. Chairwoman Steele recalls that the hospital requested that meters be installed on Crescent Street as a deterrent to employees parking there, and in turn leaving those spaces available for individuals who are there for a procedure. The committee agrees to revisit this subject after consulting with the Parking Operations Manager for additional history. 5. Old Business A. Parking department costs –  Staff is working on gathering information on the cost of meters, meter batteries, kiosks, and parking vendors for potential cost savings.  Staff wants to explore condensing the number of vendors from five to two for efficiency and cost savings.  Discussion about potentially raising rates and reducing costs to free up funds for necessary improvements.  Committee members recommend that the department should consider asking for a discretionary fund from the revenue they bring in.  Need to have long-term goals and ensure funding for future projects, including maintenance and security for a new parking garage.  Conduct thorough research and present potential savings to the Common Council for consideration.  Expenses for services provided by other departments need to be factored in and accounted for.  Committee members believe that business owners are the main reason for the lack of parking on Main Street as they are parking their personal vehicles, and not leaving those spaces for customers.  Discussion about exploring options to incentivize parking in lots rather than on Main Street. B. Parking fee/permits proposal – No substantive update. C. Repair of parking signs and other immediate needs – Staff previously provided the committee members with VHB’s plan for proposed locations for “P” (parking) signs for the purposes of wayfinding. If you require special accommodations for any meeting, please call the ADA Coordinator at (860) 638-4540, (voice) or (860) 638-4812 (TDD/TTY), or the Town Clerk’s Office at (860) 638-4910 at least ten (10) days prior to the scheduled meeting. Page 1 of 2  D. Update on New Garage – No substantive update. 6. Adjournment – Having no further business this evening the committee moved to adjourn at 6:00 PM. Page 2 of 2