Biddeford parking garage woes continue

BIDDEFORD – The city’s controversial public parking garage was once again the subject of discussion by the city council during a Tuesday workshop meeting.

In a Facebook post on Monday, mayoral candidate and City Councilor Martin Grohman urged public attendance at the meeting, saying that a representative from Premium Parking, the garage’s operators, would be at the meeting.

Instead, a representative from Amber Infrastructure, the owners of the garage, participated remotely via ZOOM technology and presented a PowerPoint slide show for the council. No representative from Premium Parking attended or participated in the meeting.

According to Amber Infrastructure, revenues at the garage have been steadily increasing over the last two years. Despite the increased usage, however, overall revenue at the garage remains well below projections and the city is obligated to make up that difference as outlined in a contract the city signed with the garage owners three years ago.

Grohman said he was frustrated that there is basically no incentive for the operators or the owners of the garage to improve customer service and to entice more people into using the garage simply because the city is contractually obligated to guarantee a profit for the owners.

“The way it is now, many members of the public won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole,” Grohman said of the parking garage and its reputation for what he described as “draconian and out-of-control” enforcement measures.

Councilors Marc Lessard and Julian Schlaver agreed, saying there should be some sort of an incentive program for people to use the garage.

In previous council discussions about the Pearl Street garage, Mayor Alan Casavant said using the garage is “confusing and awkward” because of its heavy reliance on smart phone technology for payment. Councilors have also heard from several residents who say they used the garage, tried to use the mobile app for payment, and still got a parking ticket of more than $100.

“It’s complex, and not easy right out of the gate,” Casavant said. “These experiences (draconian fines and enforcement action) create a lot of ill will that basically acts like a domino effect throughout the city.”

City Manager James Bennett said he is frustrated “to be where we are now.” Bennett said the garage has helped spur development and new commercial tax revenue in the downtown area. “This has all been part of our long-range plan to make downtown more valuable,” he said.

Bennett also said, “taxpayers have not paid one dime” for the garage, referring to usage of TIF (tax-increment financing) funds that are targeted to downtown development. Although the city has not yet included the garage costs onto annual property tax bills, the TIF funds are created from new tax revenue the city receives; funds that would otherwise go into the regular operating budget.

The city is also considering the development and implementation of a “Special Assessment District,” which would require property owners near the garage to pay an additional tax for garage expenses.

It is highly unlikely that the city will move forward on creating a special assessment tax district before the November 2023 municipal elections.

Randy Seaver can be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com.