City, Diamond ink parking contract
SANDPOINT — Parking enforcement will return in early January following council members’ approval of a contract with Diamond Parking Wednesday night.
In an effort to create a manageable parking situation downtown and potentially bring in new revenue, council members voted to accept a proposal from Diamond Parking to fill the enforcement void created from the loss of the municipal police officers.
The new system is expected to be operational by no later than Jan. 8.
Before approving the contract, the council made several tweaks to the proposal. Parking enforcement will now take place six days a week with Sunday remaining available for free all-day parking. As before, drivers will be allowed two free hours of parking, a time frame council members figured would be sufficient to allow for a meal and shopping in the downtown core.
According to the agreement, the hours of enforcement between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Council members are seeking to emphasize the use of the city parking lot for longer-term parking. To that end, they established a monthly parking pass for all city-owned lots, including the new Sand Creek lot, at $29. For those without monthly passes, it will cost $3 for any parking beyond two hours.
According to the terms of the arrangement, the city will pay Diamond Parking a flat rate for its services and keep parking citation revenue as well as a large chunk of the parking fees.
City officials hope to use those funds for maintenance of the parking lots if they amount to anything substantial.
Not all council members were behind the new business arrangement with Diamond Parking. Councilman Justin Schuck proposed that the city table the issue for the immediate future and keep an eye on the downtown parking situation. Councilman Tom Eddy joined him in voting against the proposal.
“I’m of the opinion that we don’t have a parking problem,” he said, later adding, “I’m not convinced this is the best company, the best proposal or in the best interest for Sandpoint.”
Some local business owners shared that sentiment during an opportunity for public comment at the beginning of the discussion. Kevin Kluender said he didn’t see a need for substantial parking enforcement, and that in his experience, Diamond Parking was a rather heavy-handed enforcer.
“It’s my fear that this will drive away business from downtown,” he said.
On the other hand, Downtown Sandpoint Business Association manager Marcy Timblin was pleased with the proposal. Earlier on Wednesday, several council members and DSBA associates attended a meeting to discuss parking issues, and she said the agreement aligned in many ways with that dialogue.
“I was able to really examine the proposals, and it was apparent the council really listened to the public from the last time this issue came around,” she said.