Drive It and Park It and Pay for It

In addition to spending money on food, alcohol and entertainment, those who head to downtown Athens at night could soon have another expense: parking.

If the Athens Clarke County Commission okays the measure, downtown parking meters could be enforced from 8 a.m. until midnight, every day but Sunday. And the parking decks will be charging until midnight as well.

The authority discussed these and other proposals at its monthly meeting on Tuesday morning, including:

*Director Kathryn Lookofsky recommended buying a $60,000 computerized checkout system to automate the College Avenue parking deck. It will allow people to use debit and credit cards when paying parking fees.

*The new parking deck under construction on Washington Street will be open and ready by the end of August, Lookofsky said.  It will have a computerized checkout system, and will feature retail and restaurants on the first floor.

*Athens Clarke County Commissioner Mike Hamby said the ADDA needs to buy more “Pay and Display” parking machines like the ones on Clayton Street. The $10,000 gizmos allow people to use credit or debit cards, as well as cash, to purchase parking tickets. These are placed on a car’s dashboard with detailed information about check-in and check-out times.

*Parking revenues are down, said parking services director Laura Miller. In  April of 2010, the total was $1.432 million v. $1.425 million this April. The parking deck on College isn’t bringing in hourly customers, so the ADDA may open up more spaces for monthly customers. Miller and others attributed the drop in revenues to the economy—fewer people are shopping downtown and others may be using mass transit. She also recommended upping the cost of both delivery permits and construction permits.

*Hamby also said the parking revenues will service the debt on the new parking deck.

The takeaway: expect to pay more for parking downtown, where parking rates traditionally have been low compared to other urban centers.