http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/nov/10/officials-to-meet-regarding-downtown-par/ (http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/nov/10/officials-to-meet-regarding-downtown-par/)
It's too bad they can't open up the Central Square like it used to be... there could be
angle parking around the sides of the square .....
Was there any TV coverage of this meeting?
Mike McGavin the downtown Events Director endorses the idea of taking the parking free parking spaces away to replace them with paid meters. The closer you are to the restaurants the higher the a5Mount you will pay per hour. The further away you are away from the restaurants the less of the amount that you will pay if these meters. The council committee of committee off side parking endorses the idea too. Nate Pinkard suggested free parking in all lots and all parking spaces free from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. 7 days a week; this is a idea that he picked up from the Akron City parking lot s solution. Gillam and Tarpley opposed the idea while jrs is somewhat in favor of the parking meters. Tj Rodgers sat at this meeting like a bump on a log. Ray and Brennan were nowhere to be found. The only new console reps that were there were mcnally and Davis. Where were the other newly elected city reps officials for this meeting? My personal opinion is that this current outgoing Council should put the trash increase fees on hold and the parking dilemma on hold to to allow the new current Youngstown Council to make these important decisions. I would like to know if the outgoing Council are going to go to a National City conference before their term is over in December aka like the previous outgoing council did eight years ago?
THE ANSWER IS YES, but no doubt you will find fault with it because it does not give every single answer to all of your questions.
http://wkbn.com/2015/11/10/youngstown-city-council-discusses-improving-downtown-parking/ (http://wkbn.com/2015/11/10/youngstown-city-council-discusses-improving-downtown-parking/)
From The Vindicator
http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/nov/11/city-mulls-adding-parking-meters-increas/ (http://www.vindy.com/news/2015/nov/11/city-mulls-adding-parking-meters-increas/)
When the meters go up allover downtown I will no longer venture downtown....
I agree with you 100% Dennis ... it will kill the downtown area.
I know of two groups that drive to downtown Youngstown to have lunch. If the parking meters are installed, I'm sure these folks will dine elsewhere.
I'll tell you what is going to happen. The fuzz are gonna go crazy slapping tickets on even the cars of people who are living in the high rent Reality Tower and Wick Tower and in return, people will start moving out to the suburbs. In time those buildings will empty out and next the PIGS will turn to those attending concerts at Covelli and DeYor to the point where people will no longer attend concerts downtown. And who will take the heat?
Suggestion
Call your councilman or councilwoman and tell them not to place parking meters in downtown Youngstown.
Quote from: jay on November 11, 2015, 08:24:28 PM
I know of two groups that drive to downtown Youngstown to have lunch. If the parking meters are installed, I'm sure these folks will dine elsewhere.
It's a double edged sword that cuts both ways. I wonder how many people are NOT going downtown
right now because there isn't enough parking??
The problem is being contributed to by those inconsiderate motorists who park on the street in the same
spot ALL DAY LONG and by those who work downtown and insist on using the street parking spaces instead
of one of the surface lots, a parking deck, etc.
Having parking meters on public streets in the central business district of a city is not an unusual thing.
My downtown where I live is loaded with them, and people think nothing of dropping a few coins in
the meter as they go about their business shopping, dining, etc.
What's the big deal? The city is not doing anything outlandish, it could use the income, and having faster
turnover for those street parking spaces will give MORE people who come downtown the opportunity to park
somewhere within a reasonable distance of the eatery they are going to have lunch at, the bar where they
want to have a cocktail, the store where they want to do some daytime shopping, etc.
They also mentioned that these spaces would be free parking after daytime business hours and on weekends......
I don't see what's wrong with the current system. A male and a female worker patrols the downtown parking situation. They log in cars every two hours. If a car has parked longer than two hours, a ticket is written.
If this cash cow is implemented in downtown Youngstown, I invite daytime diners to come to the west side where there is plenty of parking and no parking meters.
And we in the HISTORIC 7th Ward cordually invite people to come to the 7th to do all their shopping. The West Side can only invite you to chow down there, but we can give you the full shopping experience ... everything from soup to nuts ... WE ARE NUMBER ONE.
What Jay forgets is the fact that there have been parking meters downtown since at least the 1920's and the central business district thrived until the steel mills closed. Mr. Jay wants everything handed to him on a golden platter and that just isn't going to happen, certainly not in his lifetime. Just how many times a week does he get into his car and drive downtown any way? Apparently he expects everything given to him free of charge.
Here in November 12, 2015 our downtown is nothing like it was on November 12, 1950. It isn't even a shaddow of its former self. Does Jay attend any of the concerts at Covelli or DeYor? I don't think so because none of them are free.
When is the last time he dined at The Fifth Floor in the Commerce Building in Downtown Youngstown? I doubt that he ever set foot in this establishment.
I'll give this to Jay, he supports the restaurants and bingo parlors on the West Side but how many of those bingo games does he actually attend? How many times a week does he dine out at the West Side Restaurants. He must be quite the wealthy man if he can eat out every day and play bingo every evening.
Thus says me!
Someone gave me this explanation today
The VXI employees no longer have bus service to the parking lot at the convocation centre. So, they now take up many of the parking spaces on the downtown streets and move their cars every two hours.
VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION
The Law Director and Chief of Police meet with the management of VXI and give them eplicit orders. NO MORE STREET PARKING. A. First time cars will be towed. B. Second time = 30 days in jail. NO EXCEPTIONS, NO SECOND CHANCE.\
If the management threatens to move out = Mayor's response = DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN YOUR BACKSIDE!
Quote from: jay on November 12, 2015, 01:57:15 PM
Someone gave me this explanation today
The VXI employees no longer have bus service to the parking lot at the convocation centre. So, they now take up many of the parking spaces on the downtown streets and move their cars every two hours.
The saddest part of the VXI people hogging up all of the street parking spaces is that
Covelli Center [according to Google Maps] is 0.4 miles, ie: 4 blocks (+/-) from the
building at 20 West Federal St.
The walk to work from Covelli is not going to KILL anyone. Given that call center
employees spend their whole day with their a**es planted in a chair answering
phones, one would think the excercise of walking about 4 blocks, twice a day,
would be GOOD for them.
If you are inside 20 Federal Place, you can tell who works for the company because they wear an ID badge and have a set of earphones around their neck. Many of the employees are obese.
One reason for the bus service for the VXI was safety reasons.
What were the safety reasons? I say that vxi employees be issued stickers that they MUST apply to the windshield of their cars. If they park on the street, they will have their car towed and pay a fine of $50.00. On the FIRST OFFENSE the fine can be waved, On the SECOND OFFENSE the fine would be manditory. The THIRD OFFENSE a fine of $500.00 AND 30 DAYS IN JAIL.
ANY VXI failing to apply the sticker to their windshield would be fined $500.00. If they continue to refuse to apply the sticker to their windshield $500.00 FINE AND 90 DAYS IN JAIL!
QUESTION: Obviously survace parking behind 20 Federal Plaza Place or whatever it's called these days isn't enough for VXI employees, so why not build a two level parking deck there exclusively for workers in the building. A minimum fee would be charged to the worker, and a fee paid by the businesses in their lease. The deck would be under the full control of the city and managed by the building management of 20 Federal Plaza West and can not be sold or leased to private companies. The persons working in the deck would be city employees.
They feared that their employees would be mugged raped molested while walking from the Covelli centre - 20 federal place. :o
The other caveat to the VXI agreement with the bus service was that if they were not to be given bus service to the Covelli center and back they will they would pull out of this 20 federal place and go out to the suburbs
East federal is struggling, Rich Mills isolates his parking, Eastgate has turned that side Ghetto.
FINE! Tell the owners of VXI to pack their bags and get out of downtown Youngstown! THE SOONER THE BETTER!
Quote from: iwasthere on November 13, 2015, 05:11:56 PM
They feared that their employees would be mugged raped molested while walking from the Covelli centre - 20 federal place. :o
OM*G that's hilarious. Just exacly HOW unsafe do those folks think downtown Youngstown is during broad daylight?
The city gets about $1,000,000 a year or more in city income tax from the VXI employees, so that gives VXI leverage
for sure... but I like Towntalk's idea:
BUILD A PARKING DECK FOR 20 FEDERAL PLACE.
It would solve the VXI problem and make leasing office space there easier if prospective tenants could see that the
building has its own parking facilities.
In the mean time, it's not gonna hurt them to walk a few blocks back and forth to their cars at Covelli Center.
The city could hire a couple of off-duty school crossing guards to look after them and make them feel "safe"...... :-X
In connection with the Parking deck, hire a couple security guards armed with bulletproof vests, killer dogs and armed with AK47's to escort the VXI employees to and from their cars, and a couple of wet nurses and nannys to take care of their emotional needs.
I was downtown today for lunch and at 12:30pm there were 3 empty parking spaces next to my car.....what parking problem?
This another money grab by the city leaders.
There is never an open parking space when I come downtown. Ever.
I park.all the time with no problem, I crash thru vacant land.
Quote from: Peggy Gurney on December 04, 2015, 08:15:15 PM
There is never an open parking space when I come downtown. Ever.You are not look ing very hard my friend.
*cough* 4 times around the block? Are you kidding me?
I rarely have trouble finding a parking space on Federal or one of the
side streets. I'm not afraid to walk a few blocks and refuse to pay to park
in front of 20 Federal Place. I guess I'll think twice before going downtown
once there is metered parking EVERYWHERE--from South to Fifth and Commerce
to Rayen!
I usually end up paying to park at the large lot all the way down on Front Street across from the St Vincent de Paul dining hall, and walk up to Federal to do my business, or even just have coffee at Friendly's. Not so bad having to park there to go to City Hall, but shouldn't have to.
I sometimes have to park on Front down near South Ave to have coffee at Joe Maxx. ugh. Granted it is not all that far... But I have arthritis in both knees. So sometimes it can be a bit of a painful walk.
This plan is to encompasses the ysu area, too. Many ysu students park around the university for free but this plan will end all free parking around campus.
Quote from: iwasthere on December 05, 2015, 10:48:39 PM
This plan is to encompasses the ysu area, too. Many ysu students park around the university for free but this plan will end all free parking around campus.
Now that's a shame. Those students pay a hefty tuition as it is. Adding parking to it... I hope it is a very nominal fee for them.
the Youngstown State University students government should address this concern at the next 5 minutes with the mayor.
Quote from: iwasthere on December 03, 2015, 04:57:58 PM
This another money grab by the city leaders.
I don't see this as a "money grab" - rather, I see it as Youngstown catching up to the twenty first century
My city here in Maryland has had parking meters downtown for over 25 years and most of the other cities
in my area have also. This includes Washington DC and cities in Northern Virginia as well.
There is nothing unreasonable or unusual about a city having metered parking spaces in the central
core of its downtown - a business district. The parking rates only apply to weekdays during business
hours - a standard practice in many, many cities around the country.
As for the YSU kids, it's unfortunate yes - but don't they have to pay if they park in the university
parking lots/decks anyways?
Now if the city were to put parking meters on residential side streets, then THAT would strike me as
unreasonable. For those who say "well, I won't go downtown any more if they put up parking meters"
I would say this - driving out to Route 224 in Boardman, or to Liberty Township just to avoid parking
meters is going to cost you in gasoline and wear and tear on your car, or bus money.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. It's your choice.
Allen ytown is not like your town where it's flourishing with a mixture of businesses and residents. Youngstown down town is still struggling to make it shopping and residents Mecca to put in parking meters is death to the ytown dt
Quote from: iwasthere on December 09, 2015, 04:40:06 PM
Allen ytown is not like your town where it's flourishing with a mixture of businesses and residents. Youngstown down town is still struggling to make it shopping and residents Mecca to put in parking meters is death to the ytown dt
Even the smaller towns and villages in my area use parking meters - some of them with 1/5 the
population of Youngstown, and downtowns that are a fraction of even Youngstown' small downtown
area. It would still cost more in the end for folks in or near the downtown to drive out to the 'burbs,
just for the sake of "free" parking, though.
Your point is well-taken, however.....if the city had the money, it would be nice to build a centrally located
parking deck with validated free parking for downtown businesses and places of entertainment.
:)
Jay Williams administration tore down the State Theatre leaving its facade and JW promisethat his administration would build a parking deck adjacent to the State Theater facade. this was 10 years ago. the mighty wizard ytownfaltered on his promise
Quote from: iwasthere on December 11, 2015, 08:38:36 AM
Jay Williams administration tore down the State Theatre leaving its facade and JW promisethat his administration would build a parking deck adjacent to the State Theater facade. this was 10 years ago. the mighty wizard ytownfaltered on his promise
Really? I'd never heard that before.
you heard it now. one must attend the finance committee meetings before the council meetings that is where you will learn about the daily happenings of ytown leadership decisions for ytown residents.