SOMERS POINT — Free parking.
It took some heated debate Feb. 9, but City Council voted unanimously to cancel its contract for collection of parking fees and “do away with any idea of charging for parking in municipal lots.”
City Council passed an ordinance April 23, 2021, approving a contract with ParkMobile to collect fees at the Bay Avenue lots via its smartphone app.
There are 113 spots in three lots at Annie/Somers Avenue near Smith’s Clam Bar, across Bay Avenue from the Gateway Playhouse and across Higbee Avenue from the theater.
On Thursday, Council President Janice Johnston reported the Parking Committee was recommending doing away with the fee at the two lots near the theater but continuing to charge at the other near the Clam Bar. She said it was the busiest of the three lots last summer and offered a “conservative” estimate of $75,000.
“But it does need to be done right this time; we didn’t do it right the first time,” Johnston said.
Complications with getting signage in place prevented the city from implementing the program in 2021, so City Council decided to wait until spring 2022 to begin charging for parking. Then the ParkMobile signs were put up in the wrong locations and had to be changed, which further delayed enforcement.
Johnston said Police Chief Richard Somers is “on board with enforcement” if the city moves forward with charging at just the one lot. “I think we should try it; we need revenue,” she said.
Somewhat incredulously, Councilman Howard Dill asked how the committee arrived at the decision.
Councilman Rick DePamphilis, a member of the Parking Committee along with Johnston, said they felt the beach and Gateway lots were used more by local residents and the other more by tourists.
“Why should we provide free parking for Smitty’s?” DePamphilis said. “And I’ll even take it one step further — I think we should sell the lot down by Smitty’s and get some really nice revenue.”
Dill asked what the committee thought about selling the lot.
Johnston said DePamphilis suggested the idea but it was not discussed at length and is not part of the recommendation.
“My opinion is you should do it for all of them or none at all. Everyone in the community is affected by this and to say that the beach lot and Gateway lot shouldn’t be charged for parking … the beach lot is projected at $75,600 and Gateway lot projected at $92,880. We’re willing to say no to that money but willing to take $75,600 from the Clam Bar (lot)? It just doesn’t make any sense,” Dill said. “If we’re talking about revenue and we’re only talking about revenue, then damn it we should either accept revenue from all three lots or not have the revenue from any of the lots.
“To add on to that, the $75,600 for the Somers lot is a projection of 100 percent capacity for 12 hours a day for 180 days. I think all of us know that we’re not going to reach that goal.”
He said municipal engineer Greg Schneider estimated the revenue at between $18,900 at 25 percent capacity and $75,600 at 100 percent capacity, saying he thinks it would be much closer to the former than the latter.
“I don’t want the public to think we are going to derive $75,000 because it is not true and it’s probably going to be closer to $18,000,” Dill said.
He said his bigger concern was treating the two areas differently.
“We’re not going to charge for the beach lot, not going to charge for theater, we’re just going to inconvenience the neighborhood and residents of the Clam Bar area. I have a concern with that,” he said.
Councilman Sean McGuigan agreed. He described a scenario in which one person enjoys what’s offered at the beach or theater and another does not, but really likes clam chowder. He asked why one should have to pay to park and the other get it for free.
“That doesn’t seem very fair to me. We know all about ratables and we want to attract ratables and we all cheer when businesses come. … I support all these small businesses because they do provide jobs for many of my friends and many of our neighbors and many of the citizens here. Now we’re saying to Smitty’s or whatever businesses that enjoy that parking lot down there, ‘We don’t care.’ To say that we are going to derive $75,000, that’s borderline embarrassing,” McGuigan said. “Now we are going to say to the neighbors up on Somers, Annie and so forth, ‘We’re going to drive people out of that parking lot into the front of your house. Your trouble parking in front of your house now is only going to get worse because people don’t want to park there.’ But to the people down on Higbee, ‘we’re going to give you relief because you’re going to have free parking.’
“It’s a ridiculous idea and let’s keep in mind, the problems we are creating to get to $7,500 or even if it’s $18,000, we have an $18 million budget. It’s hardly worth the aggravation and embarrassment.”
Solicitor Tom Smith said the clock is ticking and a decision needed to be made soon.
“We’ve got to start thinking about revenue,” Johnston said. “I’m all for keeping all three. I was all for it from day one.”
McGuigan made a motion to sever the contract with ParkMobile and do away with any idea of charging for parking in municipal lots.
The roll call vote was unanimous. Councilman Joe McCarrie was absent.
Smith said the vote would have to be memorialized in an ordinance.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
