OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Two metered parking spaces in the downtown hub may be switched over to free, 10-minute parking.

From May 1 to Labor Day, visitors to the downtown must pay for on-street parking, either by purchasing metered time or through a season pass.

The town has received requests from local businesses for temporary on-street parking to accommodate customers picking up take-out items.

Town officials are considering taking two downtown parking spaces that are currently metered and changing them to 10-minute free spaces. The proposed spaces would be on the main drag of downtown – one would be in front of 33 Old Orchard Street and the other would be in front of 28-30 Old Orchard Street. This would free up one space on each side of Old Orchard Street, halfway up the hill, to equally accommodate businesses on the lower and upper halves of the street, said Town Manager Diana Asanza. The parking spaces are located at the intersection of Seavey Street for easy entering and exiting, she said.

Town Councilor Kenneth Blow said at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting that he wanted to have a few temporary parking spaces to help out the year-round businesses in the downtown that have customers coming to the downtown specifically to pick up a takeout order. He said he thought the two parking spaces should be 15 minutes, instead of ten minutes. Asanza said town staff have proposed the two spaces be 10-minute parking, as the two free parking spaces near the beach by Town Square are 10-minute spots.

The Town Council will vote whether to approve the two free temporary parking spots at its next meeting.

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