New Paltz village officials have been experimenting with selling permits to park in particular spots for at least two years, and earlier this month Facebook users started discussing the results with vigor. The conclusion: in the main municipal lot off Plattekill Avenue, the signage is confusing, leaving some locals frustrated.
Mayor Tim Rogers announced plans to change how permits are used in that lot, reducing the hours that they’ll be in effect. The current permits in that lot are good 24 hours a day and seven days a week, but Rogers thinks that in the future they should instead be business hours only, good from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. to keep them available for other drivers later in the day. In addition, 16 permit spots in the middle of the lot would be moved to the back portion to allow for clearer signage under the proposal.
There are 78 village-controlled spots in the Plattekill municipal lot, and at this time 30 of those are permitted and the rest metered. Eight spots are leased to SamSix (corporate owner of 15 Plattekill) at the permit rate of $15 per month; the company also owns six and has another six due to a lease agreement with the village which trades those spots for the right for the village lot to encroach on that private property.
Trustees William Murray and Don Kerr applauded the proposal, which has also received good marks from village employees in the clerk’s office, department of public works and parking enforcement division.
“We’re not trying to make money off of parking,” Rogers said. “We’re trying to provide a service.” Dennis Young agreed, saying that the point of parking enforcement is to turn the spaces over more frequently.
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