HARTFORD — The days of parking for free in downtown White River Junction may soon be over.
The Selectboard on Tuesday night voted to direct town staff to push ahead with pricing out the purchase and installation of parking meters or kiosks for spaces in the immediate downtown. The hope is to increase the turnover of roughly 280 spaces and encourage people staying the day — or who are working or living in town — to park on the outskirts of the village, Town Manager Brannon Godfrey said.
Although the motion to move forward with the request-for-proposal process passed, 7-0, the Selectboard would still need to approve the project. Just what the town might install — whether it be individual meters, kiosk stations or something in between — isn’t yet clear. That and a cost figure would be hashed out during the proposal process.
Selectboard member Kim Souza, who owns Revolution in downtown White River Junction, said she was “a little indifferent” about metered parking but conceded that “it is probably the right thing to do,” especially if the technology can eventually pay for itself.
She said she has noticed that some drivers disobey the current two-hour parking space limit. Doing so prevents turnover for people hoping to pop into downtown shops or grab a cup of coffee.
Souza noted, however, that she believes some business owners are not in favor of metered parking.
Board member Dennis Brown said he was in favor of meters or kiosks but wants them to be user-friendly.
“I just hope they are signed well,” he said. “I’d like to think that the thing can be interpreted by even a caveman.”
Improving the parking situation in the downtown village has been part of an ongoing discussion in Hartford.
The Selectboard last talked about the topic in April, reviewing a plan developed in the fall that recommended installing meters at the on-street spaces, according to meeting minutes.
At that time, town staff had been developing proposals for “state-of-the-art” meters that could notify police officers of a space with an expired meter and allow for online payments, among many other things. That type of technology and others are still on the table.
The Lebanon City Council last year considered installing parking meters, saying action was needed to open up spaces near the Lebanon Mall and Colburn Park. The city is no longer pursing them, Lebanon City Manager Shaun Mulholland said Tuesday.
Hanover recently put in place new parking rates and fines, as the town tries to do more to encourage commuters to park in lots on the outskirts of downtown, similarly freeing up more spaces for shoppers and other short-term visitors. Hanover also recently installed technology that lets motorists use a smartphone app to pay for a meter or extend time, within legal limits of the spot.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.