By Elizabeth Perry
Officials in Coraopolis held a special meeting to discuss the results of a sweeping parking study and collect resident feedback.
Council’s Allison Marine, who spearheaded the study, said the event held at the municipal center was the first of several meetings to garner feedback from residents.
“If we’re really recommending transformational change, change is hard and requires due diligence,” Marine said. “We know there are a variety of stakeholders.
Robert Goetz of Trans Associates, which conducted the study presented findings on June 1 which was the result of feedback from 116 people. Of those, 67% were Coraopolis residents.
At this time, the Coraopolis business district is considered to be the six-block radius located in the heart of the borough. There are currently 196 parking meters, 404 private spaces and a total of 816 parking spaces in the designated zone.
Goetz said the study found issues with poorly marked handicapped parking spots in two borough lots.
In the past two years, Trans Associates found the borough has made about $20,000 in annual meter revenue and $15,000 in parking permit fees. The expense to maintain the meters was $6,000 and the enforcement cost is about $18,000.
Right now, as part of the parking study, the mechanics inside many meters have been removed, causing consternation among business owners who have called the results unsightly.
Half of all people who participated in the study said they parked in metered spots when they were in the area but 72% of respondents said they would not be willing to pay for parking if it were available.
Goetz said the next step would be to find out what kind of future demand would be for paid parking and they would need to determine which course of action would make financial sense.
Marine urged residents who had a stake in the issue to contact the borough and make their voices heard.
“We want to future fit us for success,” Marine said.