ATHOL – “What’s the purpose of having meters on Main Street?”

That question, short and to the point, was posed to representatives of Athol’s Parking Benefits District Oversight Committee by Selectboard Vice Chair Brian Dodge at the board’s Dec. 17  meeting. Dodge was looking for some clarification on the purpose of the parking district and operations of the oversight committee, including the funds collected from meters.

“The purpose of having parking meters on Main Street,” committee Chair Gary Deyo responded, “is to eliminate people from parking on Main Street 24/7. In other words, some merchants were parking in front of their establishments and some people couldn’t get in there or complained about that. No matter what policy you have, there’s always going to be a faction that has a problem with it.

“The original intent of enforcing the parking,” Deyo continued, “was to open it up to help the merchants, to some degree, so that people would have some place to park. Now that intention has been met. Once we got a monitor and people started getting fines, they realized that either you pay the meter, or you can get a $10 fine.”

In March 2021, Athol’s Selectboard voted to increase parking rates from 25 cents to 50 cents per hour at the meters along Main and Exchange streets. Four months later, Town Meeting voters approved the creation of a Parking Benefits District, along with an oversight committee which would recommend the use of monies collected from the meters. It wasn’t until November of last year, however, that a downtown “parking ambassador” was hired to monitor the meters and, when necessary, hand out tickets. The days and hours worked by the ambassador, or monitor, can vary from week to week.

“So,” said Deyo, “you can spend 50 cents to pay the meter, or you can take your chances and, if the monitor is working that day, you could get a ticket. And he has no idea if your violation is five minutes, ten minutes, or an hour. If the meter says ‘expired’ then it’s expired; that’s his attitude, and I commend him for that because he’s doing what he was hired to do.”

Deyo told the board that the oversight committee had met earlier in the day and decided to reaffirm its policy. He said revenues for the Parking Benefits District have been “enhanced” since the parking ambassador began his rounds.

“The money is just used in that account?” asked Dodge. “It doesn’t go into the general fund?”

Oversight committee member Ken Duffy explained that, in addition to creating turnover in parking spaces along Main Street for the convenience of downtown shoppers, the establishment of the parking district and enforcement of parking meters was to “generate the revenue, after expenses, to help do some work downtown to make it more inviting as a downtown.”

Available funds, Duffy said, could be used for a variety of improvements such as signage, improvements to walkways, street trees, flower beds, and other items. Any recommendations the oversight committee makes relative to the expenditure of funds collected in the Parking Benefits District must ultimately be approved by voters at Town Meeting.

Selectboard Chair Stephen Raymond noted that some merchants complained in the past about residents of apartments in downtown Athol parking in metered spaces all day long and they had asked for increased enforcement.

“In my opinion,” he said, “you can park in the (municipal) lot and walk to your apartment. It can’t be that far away.”

Duffy agreed. “I think it’s the tenants living in those apartments above the storefronts who had that issue,” he said.

Dodge wanted to know if downtown merchants had each been asked “whether they prefer feeding meters or not.”

Duffy responded that it was his understanding that downtown merchants had been canvassed prior to the creation of the parking district “and they were strongly in favor of having meters downtown.” Duffy also noted that Heather Dinitto, the owner of Mass Discount, located at 500 Main St., had agreed to join the PBD Oversight Committee.

“This will be very helpful to this committee because she is a merchant downtown, and she can give us the pulse of how those merchants feel down there,” Duffy said.

In response to a comment from board member Rebecca Bialecki that some patrons of the Athol Area YMCA have complained about the ticketing policy, Deyo said, “People have to know that it’s going to be enforced for everybody that’s in violation; you can’t discriminate. The situation is we have meters; wherever the meters are they have to be fed.”

Dodge said he had intended to make a motion to eliminate downtown meters but, in light of the discussion, decided to delay that action. He then suggested that all downtown business owners be asked to vote on whether they support or oppose the meters.

The board ultimately asked Bialecki to develop a draft survey for distribution to downtown merchants seeking their input on the issue of downtown parking meters. The full board will then approve wording of the draft before it is distributed.