The two biggest shortages in the Village are public restrooms, and parking. With the opening of the Saugerties Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center on weekends and its public restroom, that problem appears to have been solved. At their July 3 meeting, Village trustees worked towards relieving a portion of the lack of adequate parking.
Trustees voted at the meeting to hire Praetorius & Conrad to survey, and prepare a topographical map of village-owned property at the intersection of Partition and Montross streets.
Trustee Jeff Helmuth said the work should cost about $1200, while fellow trustee Donald Hackett said converting the unimproved site might result in 10 parking spaces.
Mayor William Murphy said it wouldn’t be worth doing anything with the site unless eight to 10 parking spaces could be carved out.
If the survey proves the property can support 10 spots, Murphy said several of them would be designated for overnight parking so residents living nearby who have no driveways or places to park their vehicles overnight during the winter, when on-street parking is prohibited over night, would have a place to park.
Trustees also heard a suggestion to put an electric vehicle charging station on the property if it is converted to a parking lot but trustee Terry Parisian pointed out there is already one at the Kiwanis Ice Rink.
That station currently charges vehicles for free, the town of Saugerties having gotten a state grant to cover the cost of electricity for now. When money from the grant runs out, those using the charging station will have to pay by credit card at the charging machine.
Parisian said he doesn’t get the state using taxpayer money to pay for electricity for those with electric vehicles but not paying for gas for those who have combustion engine vehicles. “Why are we (the taxpayers) subsidizing this?” Parisian asked. “There’s no need for it in the village.”
One of the biggest myths perpetrated upon Saugerties is that there is no parking in the village. For concrete prooof one only need look at this past week. On multiple days some of the most popular streets for parking were closed to the public for parades and car shows. And on this days the village experienced some of its highest concentration of crowds. Where did all of these revelers and car show attendees park if this Village is so strapped for parking. As usual the village and town would like the squeakiest wheels to get the grease and take advantage of public outrage over a perceived lack of parking. In reality the only thing lacking is information about the wealth of parking options we have. Business as usual in a town that is always focused on all the wrong things.