CLEARFIELD – Parking meters in Clearfield Borough may soon be entering the digital age.
Clearfield Borough Council’s public safety committee voted to approve a recommendation by Police Chief Jeff Rhone to purchase 15 digital parking meters. The meters cost $159 each and the cost to program the meters is $250.
Rhone stated earlier that mechanical parts are no longer available for the meters the borough currently has in place. He stated that it’s also difficult to get the state’s weights and measures people in to certify them.
The borough has 125 meters, of which about 50 are not working. Rhone said that meters have been taken outside the downtown core to replace the ones in the core that are not working.
“We’re just losing meters,” said Rhone. “That’s all there is too it.”
The meters are proposed for the downtown core. A half-hour would cost a quarter, with a maximum time limit of two hours. Longer time limits exist outside the downtown core to promote people who work downtown to park there, leaving the core meters open to people coming in to do business or eat or shop.
Rhone stated that due to the problems that nickel and dime meters have, he would like to see quarter-only meters.
Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said that the income is down on the meters, a reflection of the damaged meters. Through October meters in Clearfield have brought $93,837 into the borough.
“It pays for itself and then some,” said Stott.
The borough currently has one meter attendant and one maintenance person for the meters.
The topic will be brought up at next Thursday’s regular meeting of Clearfield Borough Council.