Old Orchard Beach could push back end of parking meter season to Labor Day

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The end of the parking meter season could be moved back to the day after Labor Day.

Parking on downtown streets and town parking lots in Old Orchard Beach is metered in the summer, when thousands of visitors flock to the town. For many years, parking meter season was Memorial Day to Labor Day. In recent years, the parking meter season has been tweaked a few times, and currently runs May 1 through Sept. 30.

This past summer, the town added five free short-term 15-minute parking spaces on Old Orchard Street.

Town Councilor Kenneth Blow said at the end of Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting he thought the town should “roll back” the end date of parking meter season to Labor Day, add more free 15-minute parking spaces on Old Orchard Street, to help support local businesses.

Blow noted that revenue from parking fees during the summer months was higher than projected, so the town wouldn’t be at a loss of projected revenue if it shortened the parking meter season.

Council Chairman Shawn O’Neill said he drove through town around 9 p.m. recently, and there were no cars on Old Orchard Street or Staples Street, and only one car and the parking enforcement vehicle on First Street. He said he agreed that parking should be free after Labor Day, as there wasn’t the crowd of people in the downtown to support the parking enforcement. He also thought free parking would encourage people to come to the town after Labor Day, instead of “nickel and diming the people who come here.”

“Labor Day works for me,” he said. 

O’Neill said he would also like to see an additional handicap parking space on Old Orchard Street in addition to more free short-term spaces.

The new free short-term parking spaces have been well-received by customers making a quick stop in the downtown to pick-up food and by owners of take-out food establishments, said Town Manager Diana Asanza on Wednesday.

She said the town could consider making all the spaces on Old Orchard Street free short-term spaces, and making them up to 30 minutes.

“This will give the public more time to visit local shops, pick up what they need, wait in line to pay and be on their way without the stress of possibly taking longer than 15 minutes -which does happen in the peak season- and getting a parking ticket,” she said.

If all parking spaces on Old Orchard Street were changed to free short-term parking, there are other areas the town could look at to make up potential loss of revenue, she said.

Asanza said in addition to adding more short-term parking, allowing free parking after Labor Day could be another way to help out local businesses and encourage locals to come to the downtown after the summer crowd is gone.

“I think it’s a very good, positive move,” she said.

Adding more short-term parking spaces and changing the end date of the parking season both need to go through a three-meeting Town Council process in order to be approved. At the first meeting, the request is introduced and the council is asked to schedule a public hearing at the next scheduled Council meeting; at the next meeting a public hearing will be held, and at the third meeting a vote will be taken by the Council.

Asanza said she is working to introduce the requests-  to end metered parking at Labor Day and increase free short-term parking - on the Oct. 3 Town Council agenda.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.