http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20111108/NEWS02/711089909
Article published Nov 8, 2011
Downtown parking subject of study
SPRINGFIELD – Springfield On The Move is hoping its new downtown parking study will get people moving.
The group is tackling the stubborn problem of employees of downtown businesses taking up the on-street parking that should be open to visitors.
“Folks that work downtown tend to use a lot of the available space,” said Carol Lighthall, executive director of the downtown redevelopment group.
While the number of businesses in downtown Springfield is dwindling, Lighthall said the competition is strong for the 92 available spaces and only got stronger with the reopening of the Ellis Block and the Springfield Cinema 3..
Springfield On The Move, which recently moved to a new location at the head of the Square in downtown, applied for a grant with the town’s blessing to fund the downtown parking study.
SOM is working with the Dufresne Group, an engineering firm in Windsor, and also hired Paula Green, a Springfield consultant, to work on the issue.
The consultant surveyed employees and property owners to analyze the problem, she said.
SOM is holding a public meeting next week on Nov. 17 at the Springfield Town Hall third floor meeting room at 5:30 p.m. to gauge public concern, she said.
“We want to engage the public and get their thoughts, their opinions and their recommendations,” said Lighthall.
Downtown parking is a combination of public parking and private. While there are no longer meters in downtown Springfield, the town does employ a partt-ime parking enforcement officer.
Lighthall said she has been working with a public-private committee to tackle the parking problem.
What? Downtown Business owners and Residents are parking downtown?
ReplyDeleteNOOOOOO...!!!!! We can't have that.!!!!!
Quick, call
S ocialism
O n the
M ove
We CANNOT let the people who Live and Work downtown have cars.
THE EMPTY PARKING LOT is NOT EMPTY ENOUGH...
and the one by the State Building and the other one by the Slack Dam.. And that other one, (which one) yeah that's right, the empty one.
Oh yeah all of the "OPEN" business are filling these lots.......
SO important to get a grant and re-invent an empty parking lot. To say they are full is a lie.
Liars.
Hey, special time in our history here.
ReplyDeleteThis group called SOM really doesn't snow what they are doing.
Welcome to Vermont.
What? you say you've been here?
well then tell me,
Did SOM forget about our respect for winters SNOW?? or just hospitality?
The #1 complaint my downtown customers give about Springfield is about the parking enforcement officer giving tickets when the parking lots and streets are empty. This has happened to visitors and delivery drivers too. It is not even possible to have lunch and go shopping. You have used up your time, and get a ticket in an empty parking lot. Why?
C'mon down miss Carol Lighthall + friends, during a snow storm, AND MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS.
SOM's group doesn't have many downtowners on it.
I hate seeing SOM jeopordize Springfield's main street business, over and over.
SOM is imposing their own view point and self interests. AND VERY OFF TARGET.
You don't see a parking complex being built at the Old Fellow's building do you. Do you..
DO YOU?
Well I have said it many times before. What the town should do is tear down the crappy parks and rec building and build a two story car park that was gated and secured. Parking passes could be bought from the town at discount to have secured parking. Parks and rec should take over the Park Street school Gym and the other half of that building should be leveled for parking or some other use at a later date. The District school offices should be moved to the old school on Summer St. Cost efficient use of all this wasted space. Upfront costs are more but they would eventually pay for themselves. But I am sure this is WAY too progressive thinking for that group.
ReplyDeleteCan you say “WASTE, FRAUD, and ABUSE” with yet another of Springfield on the Dole’s interminable “studies, surveys, and mottos” that produce ZILCH???
ReplyDeleteThe amount of the grant was conveniently left out of the article – doesn’t the Herald think that’s relevant? – but what this comes down to is a first come, first served situation that could either be handled by businesses collaborating and requesting their employees park at off-street locations, restoring the parking meters, or setting time limits on parking and consistently enforcing it. Obviously, if the employees of the downtown establishments are bogarting the spaces, then they aren’t too interested in accommodating customers or generating sales anyway.
This is just another “attempted solution” looking for a problem and a feckless organization looking for a reason to exist.
Bottom line for me is taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be whizzed away on capricious crap like this.
@ above...
ReplyDeleteNot sure you get it.
There is plenty of parking available for all.
The parking lots are never even 1/2 full.
The streets have empty parking spots up and down main st.
Plenty of parking for store employees and residents and customers.
These guys are just taking money and trying to justify a reason with the results of a survey that you will never see. Seriously, you will never see it. You might, at best, see a condenced SPUN version of a false survey, that is it.
No need for SOM's opinion on parking,
Here is mine. Get rid of the parking ticket cop and s.o.m.
Any action taken based on the survey is probably going to snuff out the last of the downtown businesses.
Remember the sidewalks? They aren't done yet!
Remember the bridge! DETOUR DETOUR DETOUR !!!
THEY WILL shut down Downtown again.
If they can't create a dramatic story line they sure will try. Downtown businesses would be fine with out SOM.
The only "key players" SOM knows are stage actors, probably from the Springfield Players.. hahaha...
Oh I bet these guys are a non-profit. hahaha
(I know we all know that, but take a step back and re-frame the joke). HA HA HA HA !
Oh I bet these guys get tax money. HA HA HA HA!! ( that last one is the one that kills me )
Seriously, if any of the above can be a joke then WE HAVE ALL BEEN FOOLED already with our votes.
How can SOM be in charge? OR EVEN HAVE AN OPINION.
SOM is in DIRECT COMPITITION with the owners of downtown busineses.
SOM could be the NEXT to go out of business. oops they mis-spent your tax money.. all gone.
To bad, so sad.. Now pay your new taxes.
They are NOT here to help.
Results of Parking Survey Are Now In!!!
ReplyDeleteSOM will get a grant to re-fund YOUR PARKING TICKET !!!
@ ABOVE.
ReplyDelete"Springfield on the Dole"
lol (laughs out loud)
BLauhlauhglaughha!!!!!!!! HA HA HA AHHAHAHH ha ha ha
ROL (roll's over laughing)
A parking problem in Springfield?? Really?? Every time I drive thru downtown, there is empty space after empty space. There is no foot traffic because there no reason to stop and park. There are no stores to shop in. I agree with the comment about the 'parking enforcement officer'. Instead of giving out tickets he should be leaving $20 bills on people's cars to encourage them to stay awhile and spend some additional money. That Springfield thinks it needs such a position is ludicrous.. Interesting that the lack of downtown businesses is acknowledged, but lets face it--the risk of opening a business in Springfield is not worth it. Just this week another robbery, another drug arrest. Image is important, as is the perception about a town. Springfield falls short across the board. Too many marginal people live in Springfield, and they bring the whole place down.
ReplyDeletemarginal people?
ReplyDeleteLet's not let them park here either.
Isn't SOM marginal? a 503c and on the Tax dollar too.. none of their personal money at risk....
Yeah, I call that marginal too.
The Bling Leading The Blind.
To all anonymous posters. Please come up with a nick name at least so that we can follow these conversations better. Everyone being anonymous is kind of boring. Instead of selecting anonymous select name/url and put in a nick name. Change it up for once! And yes I have put white chalk marks on all your tires. You have 2 hours to move suckers!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE getting my car detailed, and stopping downtown after to grab something to eat and seeing those white lines on my newly cleaned and shiny tires!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteSOM is the most useless WASTE of time AND money! The people that are on it live up the hills on Eureka Rd, Cherry Hill and Dutton District. They dont live downtown, they dont see the REAL problems. Gang bangers moving in for the free welfare and stupid cops that have no clue about any drug problems. These parasites are causing MY town to look like CRAP!
ReplyDeleteEver since HCRS and Turning point and the prison moved in, the people they serve, who are VERY dependant on YOUR tax dollars are leaching off this town.
Uh... Nick name ? Dude, I'm WIRELESS on someones else's computor, DOWNTOWN. I think there are allot of us on the same shared network too.
ReplyDeleteYou can call me Doctor, Doctor.
my name is John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
ReplyDeleteWOW !!!
ReplyDeleteHis name, is MY name TOO!!!
I don't get white chalk lines on my car tires because I have my own parking spot and a sign that says
ReplyDelete"parking for John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt only"
LMAO!!!!
ReplyDeleteUnable to sustain her position at SRDC or in private business CL has connived her way into a funded position where she leaches off hard working taxpayers and is accountable to no one.
ReplyDeleteAs stated CL is looking for a problem that doesn't exist to apply a corn-ball solution. Absurd. Meanwhile, Spfld On The Dole refuses to acknowledged the core reason for the Town's plight.
Carol, do I have your attention? No one wants to move, work, visit or have their kids attend school in Springfield because of the proliferation of low income residents and their attached social ills.
Until Springfield has the leadership to curtail the expansion of section eight housing, stops squandering resources on IEPs and instead embraces excellence in education, stops granting tax exempt status to agencies that lure parasites and low lifes like flies to feces, nothing will change.
wow.......
ReplyDeleteI love you.
peace.
Well said annon.
ReplyDeleteI just got out of jail. I don't have my license because of heroin possession. What do I need a parking spot for? I like downtown Springfield because there are alot of people like me here. I can visit my friends downstreet at the jail or up street at the 1/2 way house by walking. I also get to use my food stamps at Shaws, I don't even have to carry my groceries, I just take a cart that I throw in the river when I am done.
ReplyDeleteI think SOM's intentions are good but ultimately FUTILE. The key to almost any town's vitality is commerce created by lots of businesses, with at least a few major companies. Banners, slogans, paint and parking can not, alone, change the dynamics of Springfield.
ReplyDelete