BY JACK KUCZMANSKI
Clarkston News Student Writer
Paid parking could expand to include meters on Main Street in addition to parking lot kiosks, according to one plan considered by the city Parking Committee.
Randy Lassner, representing paid-parking vendor IPS Group, said meters could be added if traffic inflow remained relatively consistent.
The plan was one of several issues discussed at the May 3 committee meeting.
The committee approved a recommendation for City Council to post “no parking” signs on Church Street east of Buffalo Street, as well as south Buffalo Street.
Committee members conducted a door-to-door survey of Church Street residents, which showed every resident supported the parking ban proposal.
The proposal was to be presented to City Council at its May 8 meeting. This edition went to press Monday, before the meeting took place.
The reason for paid parking is to generate revenue for the specific purpose of maintaining and renovating the city’s parking in the future, especially as Clarkston continues to grow as an enticing downtown venue for it’s small town charm and excellent food, said committee member Rick Detkowski at the May 3 meeting.
“We have no funds to maintain our lots, to expand, improve, or look at new options down the road to address parking issues. So, with that comes the need for generating revenue to have something to work with in the future,” he said.
Several local business owners and residents were also in attendance, raising concerns about how paid parking could negatively affect Clarkston’s warm, small-town image. Visitors may be turned off by the change and decide to go elsewhere for a night of dining where they don’t have to pay extra.
Lassner said meters can be programmed to offer free parking for a period such as 15 minutes, to allow for brief visits.
According to the IPS Group’s proposed implementation plan, a paid parking kiosk would be installed in the Main and Washington parking lot on June 1, using the free 30-day trial provided by the vendor.
The city would hire a small unit of parking enforcement officials to consistently enforce the paid parking lot.
They would monitor traffic inflow to see if visitors are willing to park in the lot and pay the expense, and determine if the city as a whole realizes a decrease in traffic, Lassner said.
The city could then hire additional meter enforcement officials as necessary.
City Council voted at its April 24 meeting to move forward with paid parking downtown.
The next Parking Committee meeting will be within the next couple weeks. Goals include consolidating parking plans into a clear strategy for recommendation to the City Council.

  downtown clarkston, parking