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SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city is hoping to institute a “tourism parking program” this spring that it says will ease parking access for visitors, increase the availability of resident parking and generate about $2.5 million in gross revenue.
The seasonal program would charge visitors $2 per hour for parking at the three city-owned parking garages and two surface lots from May 1 - to Sept. 30, DPW Business Manager Michael Veitch explained during a presentation to the City Council on Dec. 19.
The three affected garages and lots are located on Putnam, Walton and Woodlawn – where visitors would use pay stations, or pay attendants. Time-limited parking would be instituted on some downtown streets, although Broadway will pretty much remain as it currently is.
On-street permits would provide free parking for residents and downtown business employees. How those permits would specifically be secured has yet to be decided.
“What’s being proposed is paid tourist parking in the garages and surface lots and limiting the availability of free parking on city streets for visitors. This program prioritizes however, the continuance of free parking for residents and employees,” said DPW Commissioner Jason Golub.
The results of a study performed by DPW last summer estimates the tourism parking plan could generate $2.468 million via hourly sales in new revenue during the busy summer season. Costs for implementing the program and operating the plan would cost approximately $1 million, leaving an estimated net revenue of more than $1 million that could be used for other city costs or programs.
The departments of Public Works and Public Safety would both have responsibilities for administrating the program, and changes to the City Code to accommodate the plan, as well as initiating contracts with vendors for pay stations and permit plans would also need to be addressed before implementation.
The city is hopeful the program can be installed by April 2024 with implementation on May 1.
•In other city news, the Council temporarily tabled a proposed one-year contract through the 2024 calendar year with RISE Housing and Support Services that will pay up to $387,160 for the agency to provide homeless shelter services. The contract is expected to be approved during the council’s Dec. 28 meeting.
Earlier this year, the city approved an agreement with RISE to operate the first year-round low barrier facility in Saratoga Springs. Located on Adelphi Street, just west of South Broadway, the 30-bed facility began operations on June 12. Local developer Sonny Bonacio, who secured a five-year lease on the Adelphi Street property, renovated the building and is providing it rent free to RISE until 2025.
The city has aggressively pursued a search for a permanent location to site a homeless shelter and navigation center; the ad hoc Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness offered several option locations earlier this year. With the start of 2024, a new mayor will be seated at the center of the City Council table and members of the Task Force publicly expressed their interest in meeting with mayor-elect John Safford in February.
•The Council also adopted a resolution opposing the construction and operation of Saratoga Biochar Inc.’s sewage sludge and wood chip burning plant in the Moreau Industrial Park. According to the resolution, the plant at full capacity is expected to burn up to 720 tons of sewage sludge per day, with the sewage sludge processed at the Moreau Industrial Park and shipped by large diesel trucks with a likelihood that large trucks filled with sewage sludge will travel through Saratoga Springs.
