Parking
Commission Introduces New
Parking Plan for Downtown Haverhill
Mayor Endorses Plan as
“Important First Step”
Mayor James J.
Fiorentini today released the Central
Business District Parking Commission
parking plan for downtown. Under
the plan, the fourth parking plan to be
sent to the city council, there will be
two hours free parking on all streets in
the downtown area. The two
hour limit will be strictly enforced with
civilian parking officers under the
control of the police department.
Unlike the three
previous plans sent to the city council,
this plan does not recommend charging for
parking in the downtown area at this
time. The parking commission left
the door open to charging in the future.
Mayor Fiorentini
today endorsed the plan and called it
“an important first step towards
better parking regulation and a better
downtown.” The Mayor also
called upon the council, which for two
years has rejected his plan to have
civilians enforce parking rules downtown,
to allow him to hire civilians to enforce
parking rules in the downtown. “We
need civilians to enforce parking, and
police to fight crime” the Mayor
said.
“I
enthusiastically endorse and support this
plan as an important first step towards
controlling parking in the downtown area.
Controlling parking is important as the
downtown restaurants continue to grow and
thrive.
The parking
commission has reviewed every space in
the downtown, and made a recommendation
for its use. They are to be
commended for their hard work, expertise
and dedication.
They recognized
what I said when I introduced my last
plan—regulating parking is a complex
and difficult topic. It is
impossible to do it all at once. They
recommended that regulating parking be
done in phases. I agree with them. While
I continue to believe that, in the long
term, we need to charge for parking, I
endorse and support this phased in plan
as the best short term solution.
The parking
commission also recognized what I have
been saying for the past two years—we
need to enforce parking downtown with
civilian parking enforcers.
To make this plan,
or any other plan work, we need to
enforce it. Now it is up to the
council to support this plan, the fourth
plan that has been presented to them.
For two years, we
have been stalemated as the council has
refused to allow civilian enforcement.
That stalemate has cost the city a great
deal of money. Civilian enforcers
will more than pay for themselves and we
need to get started now.
Now is the time to
end the stalemate. Let’s put
aside our difference. Let’s
make this work. The time is now.
We can not wait any longer.
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