Public Parking Commission

1 CITY OF NORWICH NORWICH PUBLIC PARKING COMMISSION The following are the minutes of the regular meeting of the Public Parking Commission held at 5: 30 p.m., March 16, 2010 in the Buckingham Memorial Bldg. PRESENT: Ms. Olive Buddington, Co-Chair, Mr. Alan Bergren, Ms. Laurie Glenney- Popovich Mr. Jeffrey Lord, Mr. William Nash, and Mr. Sean Ryan. ABSENT: Mr. Francois (Pete) Desaulniers ALSO ATTENDING: Mr. Rick Kramer, Director, Rose City Rennaissance At 5: 47 p.m. Ms. Buddington called the meeting to order, noting a quorum was present. MINUTES: On a motion by Mr. Bergren, second by Mr. Lord, the Commission voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the January 12, 2010 meeting as written. FINANCIAL REPORTS & BILLS TO BE PAID: A motion was made by Mr. Lord, seconded by Mr. Bergren to accept the financial reports and accounts payable reports for December 2009, January & February 2010. The motion was voted on and passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT: NONE CORRESPONDENCE: Accepted MINUTES NPPC MEETING 03/16/2010  2 NEW BUSINESS: Transportation Center Responsibility: Ms. Buddington requested this item be brought before the Commission for discussion. The Commission members are in agreement that we are not in a position to accept responsibility for maintenance/monitoring the transportation center. We are limited with personnel as well as funding. Mr. Nash stated that in preliminary discussions, it has been suggested that the best way to handle the intermodal center would be to lease it to a management company. They would be equipped with the ability to market,maintain and monitor the transportation center. Mr. Bergren stated that the center wouldn’t be complete for several years and there will be plenty of time to determine how the City will proceed. OLD BUSINESS: Discussion of the parking proposal continued. Mr. Nash provided the members with a written copy of the parking proposal. He presented the information as discussed at the January meeting. The Commission is trying to make the changes clear and simple. The proposal will be shared with the merchants before implementation. The Commission members re-iterated the point that before implementation, the members all need to be in agreement. The plan as presented was discussed. Mr. Nash stated that the meeting would be for informational purposes only and that the new system will be implemented. The Commission members agreed on all major points of the proposal. Mr. Ryan stated that he felt that the merchants and business owners should have input into any decisions before they are in place. The other Commission members stated that the purpose of this meeting is to inform and is not to be a “give and take” exchange. The intent of the informational would be to explain the purpose and overall concept of the parking initiative. Copies of the proposal would be distributed to interested participants and feedback would be requested in writing or calls to the office. MINUTES NPPC MEETING 03/16/2010  3 The parking plan was discussed to further define the core area of downtown. The core area would be defined as from: Willow Street to Chelsea Harbor Drive, from Washington Square to Railroad Avenue. This area would be consider “prime parking” and would be subject to short time periods and eventually paid parking. The free parking would be located on the periphery of this area. An area dedicated to “customer pickup” would be exempt from paid status, to allow patrons to make a quick pickup of purchases from the local restaurants/convenience stores. Signage needs to be clear and directional to free parking areas. Paid and permit parking also needs to be clearly indicated. The Validation program also needs to be updated, to prevent misuse. The proposal is data and research based. This has been implemented in many cities across the country and has made a huge difference in the amount of on street parking available for businesses. There were several new ideas brought forth and it was decided to have a “workshop” for the Commission members to cement the final plan before presenting it at the informational meeting with the downtown businesses. ANYTHING ELSE BROUGHT BEFORE THE COMMISSION: Ms. Rizzuto asked the City Council members to update the ordinance related to blocking a driveway. The ordinance should contain a specific footage to be legally parked. Ms. Rizzuto asked that the footage requirement be 10’. Mr. Nash stated that he will check with Corporation Counsel and with Chief Fusaro. Preliminary budget figures were provided. Not voted on at this meeting. MINUTES NPPC MEETING 03/16/2010  4 ADJOURNMENT: Motion made to adjourn by Mr. Lord, second by Ms. Glenney- Popovich. Voted on and passed unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 6:03 pm Respectfully Submitted, Judith A. Rizzuto, Administrator Norwich Public Parking Commission MINUTES NPPC MEETING 03/16/2010