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Valley Residents Weigh in on Paid Parking
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Friday, January 26, 2018
 

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The fallout was swift at Primavera Plants and Flowers in the 511 Building.

“Business dropped immediately when they instituted parking at the lot on Leadville. Our customers were furious. And they unloaded on us,” said Primavera employee Barbara Bentley.

“Walk-in traffic dropped dramatically from the first day of paid parking,” added Bentley’s co-worker Monica Crist. “Customers started parking illegally just to run in and pick up arrangements, and they’re getting tickets, as a result. And, of course, no one wants to take the time to browse, anymore.”

Bentley and Crist registered their opinions about Ketchum’s decision to institute paid parking at its lots on Leadville Avenue and Washington Street Wednesday night at the first of Mayor Neil Bradshaw’s town hall meetings. The event held at the Limelight Hotel attracted dozens of people who showed up to write comments, talk with city representatives and nibble on pizza provided by the city.

Bradshaw said his staff would review the comments and include them in a workshop the city would hold within a month.

“By doing it this way, I get 150 opinions instead of the four I might have gotten at a City Council meeting,” he said.

The city instituted paid parking just before the holidays, charging $1.50 an hour. When it became apparent no one was parking in the lots, the city dropped the rates to 25 cents an hour during the day but kept the $1.50 rate in place from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Washington Street lot for movie and restaurant patrons.

Some have suggested that employers be allowed to buy discounted monthly passes for employees at the lots so they don’t have to move their cars every two hours in two-hour parking zones.

But Crist said it would be a hardship for many employees.

“A quarter an hour doesn’t sound like much. But, if I had to pay that seven hours a day five days a week, that would add up to $420 a year,” she said.

The city posted aerial photos depicting parking over New Year’s Weekend—the busiest time of the year. Of more than 1,900 parking spaces 1,446 cars were parked.

The core around Atkinsons’ Market was at 126 percent capacity. The Walnut Street area and the area directly west of Main Street were 86 and 85 percent full.

Other areas, such as the Post Office, were half full. Cars with Blaine County license plates made up three-fourths of the cars.

“That’s the busiest time of the year,” noted Ketchum architect Dale Bates.

“I don’t think parking is a problem. We have a walkability problem,” he added. “If the sidewalks were free of ice and snow and well lit, people would be happy to walk a few blocks.”

Len Harlig said that the open house was a good way for the city to start gathering public comment about paid parking and how much to charge. As more people and businesses relocate to the valley, parking spaces will become more valuable and harder to get, he said.

Mary Jane Griffith Conger, whose grandfather helped settle Ketchum in 1879, thinks that time has already come.

“I think we need paid parking. Too many people here think they’re entitled,” said Conger who lives in the downtown core. “We desperately need a parking garage.”

Those who attended the open house offered a variety of opinions. A sampling:

  • Call off the meter maids.
  • Paid parking is tying up other parking spaces since people no longer use the parking lots.
  • My employees can’t afford to park in the lots and they don’t like walking long distances in the dark with lots of cash.
  • Paid parking will keep people from the south valley from coming to shop.
  • There should be a half-hour grace period for those wanting to park in one of the lots to run a quick errand.
  • The restaurants in the areas surrounding the paid parking lots are suffering.
  • I’m willing to pay for valet service.
  • No meters. This is a friendly open town and paid parking turns people off.
  • Employees should be able to get permits for the paid parking lots for a nominal fee.
  • The key to victory is to keep the work force cars in Hailey and have a circulator bus.
  • Invest more in Mountain Rides so workers can have better service, save money and leave cars at home.
  • Buy the lot at 7th and Warm Springs and build a parking building with a shuttle.
  • No paid parking. We pay too much for everything else. To encourage people to shop locally, free parking should be at the top of the list.
  • We are lazy. We work out at the gym and we ski, but we can’t walk two blocks.
  • We should go back to free parking. Parking hasn’t been a problem for 30-plus years.

“It was fine until paid parking lots showed up,” said Jess Kiesel, as he scrutinized some of the comments. “This is a small town, not a city. If the city needs money, they should come up with fun ways to raise it and the spirits of the citizens, much alike the fire department does with its fireman’s ball.”

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