Parking Commission

City of Rochester Parking Commission Cocheco/Isinglass Conference Room 33 Wakefield Street, Rochester, NH Meeting Minutes Thursday, February 12, 2026 Present: Mike Scala, Mandie Smith, Ralph DiBernardo, Seth Creighton, Andrew Swanberry, Val Dunn, Jenn Marsh Excused: Absent: Landon Blackey, Councilor Tim Fontneau Others Present: Assistant Director Lee Nentwig, Councilor Susan Rice, Carol Petrusewicz (3:50 p.m.) Call to order: Chair DiBernardo called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. Approval of minutes: Ms. Dunn moved to accept the minutes of the 1/12/2026 meeting as presented; Ms. Smith seconded. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Public Input: none. Director Scala introduced Lee Nentwig, the new Assistant Director of Economic Development. Discussion: 1. Director Scala presented the Draft Parking Management Strategy Recommendations updated to incorporate input from City Council. They were in support of including a 15 min free option, and Director Scala spoke with the Lowell, MA, Parking Director to get specific information about how it works. In Lowell, there are specifically identified areas where it is permitted, and people go to the kiosk, enter their plate # and choose the 15-minute option. It is recommended that this be allowed once per 24-hour period. It is not available on the app because there is a service charge associated with each transaction on the app. City Council suggested that safety violations should have a higher fine than time violations. Director Scala updated the fine schedule to reflect this suggestion. He also standardized the fines so there are fewer different rates ($30, $40, or $50 with the exception of Emergency Snow Ban $100, and Parking in a Handicapped spot $250). Director Scala believes there may be additional suggestions from City Council. If City Council approves the recommendations, staff will work with the Legal Department to put it in ordinance form. It will then go to the Codes & Ordinances 1 Committee, then to City Council. Some of it will be in ordinance and some with be policy. Councilor Rice asked what a “back to curb” violation is. It is backing in to an angle- in parking space. Deputy Chief Swanberry said the ordinance will include a description of each violation so it is clear. Chair DiBernardo asked if the fine structure would be implemented as soon as it is approved. Director Scala said it is a step in the process of drafting the ordinance, Codes & Ordinances, Public Hearing, City Council approval. There also needs to be orientation for the Parking Enforcement Officers as this is rolled out. Deputy Chief Swanberry said that a start date would likely be identified. The “Guidelines for Free Parking for an Individual with a Disability” published by the NH Governor’s Commission on Disability (rev. 6/4/2024). Deputy Chief Swanberry explained that this is a recommendation, and the spirit of it is to give people with a disability extra time to get in/out of their vehicle and navigate to and from their destination. The recommendation is that a municipality double whatever free parking time they offer (i.e. if 2 hours free parking is available, then 4 hours free parking should be offered for individuals with a disability). Ms. Dunn asked where the handicap spots will be; Director Scala said there are specific requirements for them, including curb cuts, ramps, etc., and he believes we have handicap spaces on North Main Street in the locations where they can be. Director Scala clarified that this recommendation would not apply to the Veterans’ plate exemption. Ms. Smith asked why we offer free parking for Veterans. Director Scala said it is a courtesy in gratitude for their service. Deputy Chief Swanberry said it is up to the municipality to determine the length of time for Veterans free parking. There are Disabled Veteran plates; in this case, the handicap exemption would supersede the Veterans’ exemption. Director Scala said DPW received a quote for the design and creation of 2-hour parking signs (T-Sa 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.). Ms. Dunn asked when it would go into effect. Deputy Chief Swanberry said as soon as the signs are installed; we will need to update the parking webpage at the same time. To start this will be on North Main Street until we get the kiosks. Ms. Dunn asked that the North Main Street lot and the 60 Wakefield Street lot remain free all day. Chair DiBernardo asked if we would be issuing permits at the same time. Director Scala said the permits will not start until the rest of the management strategy (kiosks, etc.) is implemented. The Commission can suggest to City Council that the North Main and 60 Wakefield lots be available all day. Director Scala said we should see immediate results when this rolls out. Deputy Chief Swanberry said they can track the data related to tickets. Chair DiBernardo said he spoke with someone who mentioned a problem with vehicles that are moved every 2 hours to avoid being ticketed. Deputy Chief Swanberry said the Parking Enforcement Officers are chalking either side of the tire, but unless they actually see them move their car, it is hard to prove they didn’t 2  actually leave and come back. Chair DiBernardo read the ordinance (§ 254-17) and asked for clarification on “. . . . any one limited area. . . .” and whether that is a parking space or a larger area. Deputy Chief Swanberry said that there is nothing that limits someone to park in a spot in the morning, leave, and then return and park again for another purpose. Ms. Dunn said she hopes that this new 2-hour restriction will resolve the issues, especially on Saturdays. Director Scala said there may be challenges when there is a show at the Opera House, but it will resolve the majority of the issues observed now. Councilor Rice asked about the 60 Wakefield lot. Director Scala said it will have kiosks and up to 25 permits issued for the lot. Ms. Smith asked when the new fines go into effect. Director Scala said they will be implemented when the ordinance has been approved (after going to Codes & Ordinances, a public hearing, and City Council approval). Ms. Dunn asked if we could just change the fine schedule; Director Scala said it still involves changing an ordinance. Deputy Director Marsh said it is easier to get the entire thing approved all at once, unless City Council has significant changes they want that could delay the process. Director Scala said that if City Council likes the updated recommendations, staff can start to create a bid for the hardware. Ms. Dunn asked about the system to connect unpaid fines to auto registration and how comprehensive it is. Director Scala said from his understanding, it is fairly straightforward-adding a module to the system the tax office already uses. It will require that City Council adopt RSA 231:130-a, regarding the reporting of outstanding parking violations to the City Clerk for recording. Director Scala said he would like to have an app that matches those in other cities so people don’t have to download multiple apps. We will probably need multiple bids (kiosks, apps, etc.). There was brief discussion related to the service charges for credit card, app use, etc. Director Scala said that is something the City can negotiate with the provider on how it is charged. Resident Carol Petrusewicz arrived at 3:50 p.m. and requested permission to speak. Chair DiBernardo moved to reopen Public Input; Ms. Dunn seconded. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Ms. Petrusewicz said she watched the Parking Commission’s presentation to City Council and had some questions.  What is creating the problem-is it new residents living downtown that are creating the situation? Director Scala said that is part of it, but it has always been a combination of employees, owners and residents parking all weekend. It was a management issue that has been escalating for a few years. 3   Ms. Petrusewicz asked if the City has communicated with landlords and residents. Director Scala said he has spoken with landlords, property management companies, and residents so they are well aware.  She asked when the 2-hour signs would be installed. Deputy Director Marsh said they should be up in about 2 weeks. Ms. Petrusewicz said she hoped that would be enough management and she doesn’t feel we should go to kiosks. She wants the kiosks limited to just the downtown area and she doesn’t want kiosks in the parking lots. She doesn’t want to pay to park to attend public meetings where they discuss how they are spending my money.  She heard in the presentation that one of the goals of the paid parking was to replace the lost revenue from Waste Management. Chair DiBernardo said that’s not correct. Director Scala said the revenue is to support enforcement, equipment, and perhaps in the future, a parking structure. Director Scala then outlined the next steps in the process. He will present the edited recommendations at the City Council meeting on 2/17/2026 and will incorporate minor suggestions into the document. He will bring any major changes they suggest back to the Commission. Staff will then begin to discuss the hardware and software needs, and he will present the Parking Fund at an upcoming Finance meeting. There being no further business, Chair DiBernardo moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:56 p.m.; Ms. Smith seconded. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Carole Glenn Administrative Assistant II Economic Development Dept. r 4