Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1198116
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 8-14, 2020 UCW 11 Republic Parking assumed manage- ment and enforcement of downtown parking the first of the year, taking over from McLaurin Parking. City of- ficials say that, initially, there will be no changes to downtown parking en- forcement as the new company takes over. Republic Parking is working with City Council to implement a paid parking plan in the downtown area. Parking revisions were made neces- sary with the construction of Segra Stadium, the minor league baseball field in the 400 block of Hay Street. e city will charge patrons $5 per parking space in the more than 1,100 parking spaces in the 12 downtown public parking lots during large down- town events, to include home baseball games. City-paid lots will be clearly marked with roadside signs indicating the lot locations. Parking attendants at the city-maintained parking lots will accept cash or credit/debit cards as payment for $5 parking fees. Republic Parking is in the process of deciding where to place pay stations that will be installed along on-street parking and in city parking lots. Costs will be $1 per hour for on-street park- ing and $1 per hour or $5 per day in city lots. Downtown visitors will also be able to use the app, ParkMobile, to pay for parking. Republic Parking is working on an education campaign in advance of the expected spring kick- off for paid parking. "Paid parking is something that is needed here in Fayetteville. We are a growing city, and this is the direction many growing cities with success- ful downtown areas are taking," said Mayor Mitch Colvin. "I am confident this plan will allow more people to enjoy our beautiful downtown area." Information will be provided via the news media, the city's website and through downtown businesses. A new website complete with FAQs and other information about downtown parking will also be launched in the coming months. "Republic Parking manages park- ing for more than 100 municipalities across the country, said Jack Skelton, Republic's executive vice president of Municipal Division. We look forward to working with the city and com- munity to develop an innovative and convenient downtown parking program." Skelton went on to say "We've seen this time and time again — that businesses are concerned paid parking will be a detriment to down- town visitors — on the contrary, our experience shows that paid parking actually increases parking turnover, with visitors finding it easier to park and businesses finding that it increas- es their customer foot traffic due to higher parking turnover." Revenue generated by downtown parking will be used to assist in paying the debt on Segra Stadium as part of the business plan the city devel- oped more than 18 months ago when proposing the stadium concept to City Council. Republic Parking was se- lected through a process that included submissions from five different park- ing firms. Republic has managed the city's airport parking lots for several years. Information on the current downtown parking enforcement plan can be found at www.FayettevilleNC. gov/downtownparking. Changes coming to downtown parking by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS Republic Parking is set to take over management of the city's paid-parking spaces. 116 Green Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301 | 910-829-9171 www.fascinate-u.com THURS. THURS. Jan. 9: 10:00 to 10:30 Fascinating Storytime with the Library (free admission for Storytime) SAT. SAT. Jan. 11: 11:00-1:00 Make It, Take It - "Paper Penguins" WED. WED. Jan. 15: 10:00-10:45 STEM Science@ Headquarters Library "Color Fun Chromatography" (free, register by Calling 483-7727 ext. 1351) SAT. SAT. Jan. 18: 11:00-1:00 Super Science Saturday - "Build a Mini-Robot" FRI. FRI. Jan. 24: 7:00-9:00 Fourth Friday - "Origami Mouse Face" to celebrate The Chinese Year of the Rat - free admission & craft JANUARY EVENTS