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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-29-07 Parking Commission Minutes Bozeman Parking Commission Meeting Part 1- Matt Inman of Carl Walker, Inc. January 29, 2007 Parking Commissioners in Attendance: Chris Pope Lisa Danzl-Scott Steve Schnee Larry Bowman Pam Bryan Tammy Hauer City Staff in Attendance: James Goehrung, Superintendent of Facilities Katie Maroney, Parking Clerk Anna Rosenberry, Finance Director Laurae Clark (briefly attended)-Treasurer Guests in Attendance: Matt Inman, Carl Walker, Inc Action Items: Action Item- Get forms from Matt to record license plates every half hour to see a  turnover rate.-Katie Action Item-find out who provides the hardware for MSU parking lots etc-Paul.  0:05:50 [12:39:33] Introductions Chris Pope called the meeting to order and gave a brief overview of what the workshop would consist of. Matt Inman, of Carl Walker, Inc., introduced himself and gave a brief overview of his work history. He also answered some questions from the Parking Commissioners. 0:17:07 Define Parking Study Scope of Services Matt reviewed with the Commissioners the Scope of Services. Task 1 will be the focus of today’s meeting. Task 2 will be down the road if the commission decides for the garage to be self operated or contracted out. 0:21:35 [12:58:38] Discussion of Parking Peers Matt will prepare a list of peer cities to compare operations and procedures with. The Parking Commission came up with the following cities after a discussion: 1. Fort Collins, CO 2. Spokane, WA 3. Missoula, MT 4. Boise, ID 0:29:00 [13:04:21] What are the Parking System Goals/Objectives? Action Item: Get a "turnover rate" for how long vehicles are utilizing the downtown area. Figure out how long cars are parked in the downtown spaces. Action Item- Get forms from Matt to record license plates every half hour to see a turnover rate. The study will need to consist of the core five blocks of downtown. Anna suggested we could get some temporary workers in to perform this study. Discussion was held about whether or not the two hour parking limit would stay in effect once the garage has been built. 1:04:31 [13:15:42] Description of the Parking Facility Scott Martin in the Denver office has reviewed the plans and monthly parking provided in the basement with additional spots located on the roof top. Discussion was held about the various levels of the garage and what purpose the levels would serve, for example permit holders vs. transient spaces. Scott had a concern with entry/exit on Black Ave. with the turning radius being a little tight. Discussion was held about having two different entrances, one for permit holders and one for transient users. Safety will be an issue for the garage, but having the bright white walls and aluminum hand rails should help with this. The question arose, "Will the 5 day parking limit cause problems with the garage?" Will residents of the downtown be able to leave their vehicle in the structure longer than five days? Overnight parking will be discouraged. The goal is to make sure all vehicles are out by the end of the night. The police department will need to be the enforcement for after hours. It was a majority opinion that the garage will not offer special motorcycle parking. 1:20:20 [13:19:41] Discussion of Possible Facility Operations Cost per space average is $12,000.00 for above ground spaces if you go below ground the price doubles. If you don't have to go underground, it would save money. 1:32:12 [13:19:59] What is the anticipated facility user mix? Permit holders will be the main focus of the garage usage. Permit holders will probably make up most of the revenue for the garage. 117 permit holders make up the Willson, Powder Horn, Tracy and Black lots. The breakdown of these lots is as follows: Willson 42 Powder Horn 25- 6 guaranteed in the garage Black- 25 Tracy 25 75-100 are on a waiting list Discussion was held regarding the lots that would be affected most by the garage construction and how many permit holders would possibly be interested in a space in the garage. 1:54:00 [13:31:21] What are the anticipated facility parking rates? The garage will be providing a higher quality of service. Put surface lots at a higher cost to encourage use of the garage. It was discussed about taking a look at what the operation costs would be. Prices will more than likely need to be increased in the lots; it has been several years since the last increase. There is also the option to have a "night" permit for the garage for those who work after hours. There are a lot of possibilities. Some additional questions that came up are: Will the parking ticket fees need to be raised and would it be allowable for permit holders to pay in advance for the year? $40.00 per month would generate 290.00 year per space going off of 272 permits Both phases of the garage will be bid and a few different scenarios that could happen: 1. The garage will be built with both phases 2. The garage will be built with only phase 1 3. The bids come back so high that it is not feasible to build the garage at all A book called the High Cost of Free Parking would be very informative reading about parking. Zone code review may need to be done for the downtown area in respect to the construction of the garage. The public will need to be factored on the education process for the garage. Education is going to be a key role during this process and getting the downtown businesses involved. It was suggested to have pictures of the garage up at City Hall for public viewing. Property and business owners are getting the garage at no additional cost to them. a press release could be done. What is the status of the Parking Commission website page and having updated information about the garage project? How will people park downtown while the garage is being built, education again is going to be key! 2:34:32 [13:40:15] Will there be any special programs? There are limited items for special events in downtown, they usually happen during the summer months. Will there need to be enforcement after a certain time? Security could be an issue if the garage is open after a certain time. Will there be gates to keep the doors closed after a certain time? It will need to be addressed with Dick Prugh. People who have an AVI (Automatic Vehicle Identification) tag would be able to access the garage after hours. These permits will be able to open gates automatically. There could be a minor problem with the Mendenhall entrance and traffic backing up at the entrance to the garage and blocking the bus route. 2:46:11 [14:18:47] What access and revenue control technologies will be employed? The assumption will need to be made whether or not the garage is going to be cashier or automated. Some different options to consider are: *Pay on foot will allow faster out time *Pay in Lane they would not have to get out of vehicle At first the garage will have to have people at the facility to help customers with a learning curve. They could handle daily maintenance of facility. Providing several people in the facility for availability to answer questions the garage would need at least 2 people in their all the time. What times would those people have to be there? How do we connect the garage with merchants on main street? There are several different forms of validation that businesses can explore. There will need to be at least 1 person at the facility during normal business hours not including a cashier. It was discussed as a possibility to charge a flat rate fee for after hours parking or leave it open and not charge after a certain time. There is the option to hire someone to operate the facility for a year or two to gain the learning experience, but there would be benefits for the organization to run the garage operations itself. Having police units drive through the structure is one option for added security. Matt recommended not having cameras as they pose a bigger liability if one stops working. Call boxes were also a recommended option to have installed and each level should contain hoses and drains for cleaning. There will probably not be a need for a validation program with free 2 hour parking on main street. The equipment will generally last around 8 years it could be less due to weather conditions. A maintenance contract would need to be addressed for the gates, ticket splitters, etc. Deferred maintenance could add an additional $50-$75 per stall. Keeping up on warranties will help reduce the costs. It may be more beneficial to have 3 pay on foot machines vs. two. Carl Walker will asses the software/hardware for the garage. The equipment will have to go out to bid again and be approved. Maintenance will be key for the garage software. Action Item-find out who provides the hardware for MSU parking lots etc-Paul. 16 weeks is the timeline to ship out the equipment plus an additional 2 weeks for install. 3:45:33 [14:30:07] Will there be any special roof top rates? Roof top will need to be patrolled more as far as making sure they park in the proper location. Offering the fee at a smaller rate is an option. We could purchase an additional AVI reader to be able to see if a car went to the roof top like they should have. It will be an educational process to make people aware of it. Enforcement will be key for successful rooftop parking. 3:55:49 [14:52:21] 5:00 pm Conclude First Workshop Chris Pope adjourned the meeting at 4:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Katie Maroney, Parking Clerk