Multimedia Reporting (Utsler)

Longtime Lawrence resident and co-owner of The Raven Bookstore, Pat Kehde became a member of the downtown parking advisory board in September 2003. With a long history in city government, Kehde volunteered her services to this board because she wanted her talents to be utilized. A former president of Downtown Lawrence and a downtown business owner, she is familiar with the area and the local parking concerns. Her voice could make a difference. But, in the three years since Kehde joined the board, they have never met.

The downtown parking advisory board is one of many advisory boards in the city of Lawrence. Most of the boards meet regularly to discuss issues and present recommendations to city commissioners. The downtown parking advisory board meets on an as needed basis. City officials said the board has not been active for the past few years because it has not been needed.

Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx said since the completion of the parking garage a number of years ago there have not been any major parking projects for the board to consider. “Until we have a project, there is not a whole lot for the board to do,” he said.

Most board members disagree. The board can discuss smaller downtown parking concerns. The members can also serve as good resources to the city. They are all active in the community and many of them work in the downtown area. They have knowledge and talents and out of respect for their willingness to serve the city should use them.

The downtown parking advisory board includes a city commissioner and 6 Lawrence residents. The commissioner is appointed to the board and the members volunteer to be on it. The current roster on the city webpage is out of date. Two of the 6 members have incorrect contact information listed. The other 4 members, who joined the board during 2003 and 2004, have never attended an advisory board meeting. Up until a few weeks ago, City Commissioner Mike Rundle was not aware that he was the commissioner assigned to this board. He thought he had been replaced over two years ago. Not only has the board been unused, it has also been neglected. As a result downtown parking concerns have been neglected.

Commissioner Rundle said “there is not any eminent project” the city is working on but “parking is a perennial problem.” The board could be used to discuss smaller concerns. Aimee Polson joined the board because she thought it would be beneficial. She said that there are “issues that haven’t been addresses that should have.” Among these issues she listed moped parking and line of sight concerns. Pat Kehde said, as a downtown proprietor, she becomes aware of many issues through customers and other business owners. Had the board been active over the past few years, these concerns could have been discussed. Polson said she “feels the city is missing out on a resource.” “This is a free service the city isn’t taking advantage of,” she said.

Other members agree. Executive Director of the Lawrence Public Library, Bruce Flanders is also a member of the board. He said “it’s unfortunate” that the board has not met together since he joined. “More than anything, I am somewhat disappointed,” he said. “I would have been pleased to be a part of the discussions and involved.”

Flanders joined the board because he “thought it would be useful.” With the library redevelopment project underway an active downtown parking advisory board would be a great benefit. “The library has a tremendous need for parking in its current location and as this project moves forward, parking demands will be extraordinary,” he said. He is hopeful that the advisory board will become active again and can help with these parking concerns.

Both Mayor Amyx and City Manager Dave Corliss agree that the inactivity of the downtown parking advisory board has not been a priority or a concern. But, they do think they will try to utilize the board as a part of the library redevelopment project. Until that time and after that project is completed, Corliss thinks the city should consider the actual need of this particular advisory board. “We don’t build parking garages ever year,” he said.

Large parking projects are important, but this isn’t a matter of just building parking garages. It is a matter of building a community. The downtown parking advisory board is made up of member of the Lawrence community who want to serve and work through parking concerns, even small ones. Kehde said, “I think it would be polite once people have volunteered to be on a board to at least have them meet once a year, face to face, with the city.”

Posted by Jessica Skinner at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A young man recently stepped out of a shop on Massachusetts Street, walked a few feet to the parking meter in front of his vehicle, and dropped in another quarter. Time had run out on the meter for the prime corner spot he nabbed earlier in the day. That quarter allowed him to remain in that spot without any risks for at least 60 more minutes. This man was not a patron of the downtown shops. He was an employee.

In January 2004, the city of Lawrence raised the price of downtown parking meters from 25 cents for 90 minutes to 25 cents for 60 minutes. The intent of this increase was to keep up with inflation and to discourage downtown employees, business owners, and residents from parking in metered spots all day. Ideally, the metered spots should be for paying customers.

Most shop owners said that there have been no negative effects to their shops as a result of this increase but they cannot recognize any positive outcomes either. Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, 802-804 Massachusetts St., said, though business is “awesome,” he has seen no difference as a result of the parking meter increase. Greg Guenther, owner of Palace Cards and Gifts, 8 W. Eighth St., said the increase in parking meter prices has had “zero impact” on his store’s revenue, but he still perceives parking problems downtown.

The No. 1 problem he sees is employees who take a spot right in front of his store and feed the meter while they work their shift. That spot, he said, could be for one of his customers. He isn’t alone; many shop owners said that parking meter abuse from employees, residents, and business owners is still their main concern with the downtown parking situation.

For the total cost of $2, an individual can park in a prime location on the street for the entire eight-hour workday. That is the same price he or she would pay for a parking ticket. This is not a big risk for parkers, but it is a problem for shop owners. Many shop owners would like to see the city doing more to monitor parking and deter these daily downtown parkers from taking advantage of the best spots on and just off of Massachusetts Street.

Ed Mullins, City of Lawrence director of finance, said the original intent behind the increase was to prevent people from parking all day. Also, the increase was not designed to bring in revenue for the city but rather to keep up with inflation.

The City of Lawrence brought in $361,371 in revenue from parking meters in 2004. This was a $22,120 increase from the $339,251 it collected in 2003. In 2005, the revenue was up to $382,756. This is close to a six percent yearly increase in revenue for the city. Though the city did anticipate some increase, they expected less than they received. All the money collected from the parking meters has gone into a special fund to pay meter people and supervisors, cover maintenance and routine operating costs, and allow for recovery from meter theft.

Proprietor, Guenther, said he viewed parking meters as a “necessary evil.” “I think we have to have the meters just for control of those who would abuse the meters,” he said. Though, more may be required to gain this control.

Guenther suggested the city start chalking car tires, the same practice it does in the city parking lots, and ticketing people for parking over a certain amount of time. Increasing the price of parking tickets was another suggestion from a number of shop owners. When the price of a parking ticket is only $2, not many people are going to be concerned if they receive one. If an individual receives a parking ticket at the University of Kansas they can expect to pay between $10 and $20, with the risk of having their car towed after 3 tickets and the risk of an additional fine of $50 after 5 tickets. If the price of the $2 ticket downtown was increased, and if added risks were involved, people would be more cautious about how long they let their car sit at an unpaid meter, or over the designated time limit, if the chalking method was practiced.

Leslie Ahlert, whose family has owned Stitch on Needle Works Inc., 926 Massachusetts St., for 22 years, said that parking issues varied depending on the block. As employees and residents become aware of other parking options, they may be less likely to use the metered parking spots. There are parking lots on the 700 and 800 blocks and a lot and garage on the 900 block. The garage has been operating since late 2001. It was built in an effort to support downtown-parking and new developments in the area. Rick Marquez, director, Downtown Lawrence, Inc., 900 Massachusetts St., Suite 100, said that he parks in the garage and there are always available spaces. All of the lots and the garage offer two hours of free parking.

Ahlert also mentioned that about 50 percent of businesses have back door entrances. Many of these entrances are open to the public. She said they have learned to recognize business from the back.

Awareness may be one key in overcoming these parking concerns. As employees, residents, and business owners recognize other parking options and stores that open their back doors to traffic they may become less likely to use the metered parking spots.

City involvement may be another key. The city of Lawrence has a Downtown Parking Advisory Board in place to work through parking concerns. Pat Kehde, Co-owner of The Raven Bookstore, 6 E. Seventh St., has been a member of this board for over three years. She said, in regards to current parking issues the committee is working on, that she is "not informed." In the time since she joined the board, they have never met.

Posted by Jessica Skinner at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)