Parking plan moves closer to finality

Details are still being tweaked after members of the public came to a forum to share their input.

Parking in downtown Rome has been the subject of controversy for years. The city has had several consultants come in with a variety of recommendations but now city leaders are resolved to address the issue in a manner they feel will be most beneficial to everyone involved.

Last Wednesday night, the Downtown Development Authority hosted a Department of Transportation-style public forum where downtown shoppers, business owners and property owners alike could drop in, talk with members of the parking committee and offer their own suggestions with respect to the parking issue.

“We don’t have a parking problem, we have a walking problem,” said real estate agent Bill Summer. At some point through the last 30 years, virtually anyone who ever shopped Broad Street has driven around the block once or twice — even three times, waiting on an opening right in front of the shop they want to visit.

Rome City Manager Sammy Rich called it a cultural thing. “We’ve been conditioned to park at the front door,” Rich said.

The latest consultants report, tweaked by the parking committee, calls DDA Chairman Bob Blumberg (from left) explains parking proposals to Clint Wilder, while Mark Cochran listens. Connie Sams places a dot beside a priority item. Rome-Floyd Planning Director Artagus Newell (from left) talks about parking with Ira Levy and Ballard Betz.

Photos by Doug Walker, for the premium parking on-street downtown to include free use of spaces for up to 15 minutes, twice a day. After the grace period, the plan calls for kiosk or phone app paid parking, with coin, credit card, debit card or smart phone at $1.25 an hour for up to three hours and $3 a hour beginning with the fourth hour.

The system would use license plate reader technology for enforcement purposes Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Downtown Marketing Manager Megan Treglown said the use of coins for the kiosks is critical for people to remember.

Rome News-Tribune

Senior shoppers who may not be phone app savvy, or worried about giving up

Megan credit card

Treglown, information

downtown will be able to use parking coins, manager not paper money, in the machines that are being considered by the DDA Parking office.

Changes being considered include the elimination of time limits for parking anywhere in the downtown area.

Previously, parking was restricted to just hours a day.

Visitors to the downtown district would be able to park free in any of the three decks — on Sixth Avenue by the law enforcement center, Fourth Avenue across from the county administration building and the new Third Avenue deck.

Comment cards received during the public meeting Wednesday night included notes expressing concerns about security in the parking decks. Rich said he understood that concern, but pointed out that if the parking in the decks was free and more people used the decks, it would likely run off some of those who have perpetrated acts of vandalism in the past.

Another commenter specifically expressed concerns about “vagrants sleeping in parking areas.” The same comment card noted that the author had actually caught two in the back of his truck “urinating in it.”

“That kind of things goes away when there are a lot of people coming and going,” Rich said.

Commenters were not required to sign the cards.

“I come to downtown three times a day probably three of seven days a week. I may have to walk but I always get where I want to go,” the commenter said. The person went on to say, “signage would help, along with some form of policing downtown employees parking.”

Rich said the other major argument he’s heard from some people is that the paid parking was just a “money-grab.”

“It’s not, we’ve said this time and time again. Parking is an enterprise fund. If that fund makes money, it’s re-invested into that fund,” Rich said. “If we change the parking model and we generate more revenue what happens. The parking deck debt could be paid off sooner, maybe we’ll build Sammy Rich, city manager another parking deck if need be. Maybe we’ll do other streetscape improvements. It’s a re-investment.”

Downtown Parking manager Becky Smyth said the start-up cost for the system being considered now is a turn-key $275,000. That includes all of the kiosks, signage and a specially equipped Ford Focus with two cameras mounted to constantly be reading license plates.

One comment card asked, “What happens if the project fails, people don’t use on-street parking?”

DDA Director Amanda Carter said that is something city administration has talked about.

“As with any initiative the city of Rome undertakes, we’re always open to change,” Carter said.

Carter said comments heard during the public meeting last week will be considered by the parking committee, which would make a recommendation to the DDA board in April. At that point, the full DDA board is expected to make a recommendation to the full city commission. Whatever changes are ultimately agreed upon could be implemented before the end of the year. Becky Smyth, downtown parking manager Amanda Carter, DDA director