Parking predicament

Breanna Henderson, Kevin Sullivan and Robert Sawyer would like to see the city spend the money to make the parking garage a cleaner and more welcoming environment. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)

Letter to council compares city garage to rundown house

By RICK GREEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — A tour of the city's downtown parking garage reveals a number of deficiencies in the structure, from its lack of working elevators to its closed and graffiti-scrawled top floor.

Less certain is what to do with the rusty 1970s-era structure, where, on some days, it appears there are more pigeons than cars. On one side is the view, often articulated by Councilor David Bownes, that the structure is an “abomination” and not worth any further public investment.

On the other side are some downtown business owners who say it's a decrepit eyesore but still worthy of rehabilitation until it can be replaced.

That view was expressed recently in a letter from the Downtown TIF Advisory Board to the City Council.

“Despite good efforts, the general cleanliness of the garage remains an issue,” the letter stated. “Even though the new camera system has been effective, there remains a general perception that the garage is not safe.

“Part of that is due to the limited lighting, the lack of clarity concerning public access, vagrancy and the closure of the third level and the continuing closure of many parking spaces on the first deck.

“What worries the board is that the city's limited action to address these concerns only fosters the perception that the downtown is not an attractive place to be.”

Home comparison

The letter compared the structure to a rundown home.

“I think the best way to explain this concern is to think how you would feel if your neighbor's yard or house is not maintained,” it stated. “Even though it is not your house, the impact on the whole neighborhood is difficult to overcome.”

The letter asked for a meeting between the Downtown TIF Advisory Board and a City Council committee “to begin the process of reviewing options for the existing garage and for the eventual replacement of this structure.”

At last week's City Council meeting, it was agreed that such a meeting will be scheduled.

The letter suggests regular cleaning of the garage, better marketing, improved signage and exploration of possible improvements. For the long-term, it called for finding the best location for a new garage, identifying funding mechanisms and determining the design of a new garage.

Parking complications

Any potential solution, whether short-term or long-term will be complicated.

Estimates for rehabilitating the existing structure are in the range of $3 million.

It could cost about half that amount merely to buy out private ownership on the ground floor and to demolish the structure. Another $6 million investment would be required to build a new garage.

There is also the question of whether businesses or motorists should be required to pay some of the costs for a new structure.

Elsewhere in the city, the owner of a business must make some provision for where customers will park their cars. The downtown area, on the other end, falls in a Commercial Core Parking Overlay District.

Overlay district

City codes say parking in this area should be provided “through joint public and private efforts.” New businesses can open without including any parking in their plans.

Mayor Ed Engler said it has been years since the provisions of this district have been examined and it may be time to revisit that issue. For example, if a company were to build a new office building, bringing hundreds of employees and their cars into downtown, it might make sense to make sure provisions are made for where these people would park.

Any such policy changes wouldn't have an immediate effect on what to do about the parking garage, an issue that needs to be addressed, Engler said.

“We can't just ignore it,” he said. “My biggest fear is we'll rush into an expensive solution that will end up being temporary or incomplete, meaning I don't have a good grasp of the overall downtown parking situation, and I'm not convinced anybody else does either. Until we get that grasp, I don't want us to spend $10 million or whatever on a solution that's going to be inadequate.”

Engler said he would like to know how many spaces exist, who is parking in them, whether there is a need for more parking, and, if so, the physical location of where that parking is needed.

Parking meters

Parking is free downtown, including in the garage. Charging for parking could be one potential mechanism for helping fund a new garage, but business owners have objected to such a charge in the past.

There are about 150 spots in the portions of the garage that are open. Frequently, many are empty. There is usually parking available in surface lots and on streets downtown.

Demand for downtown parking is expected to increase after the Colonial Theatre is refurbished. Fit Focus, a large athletic club that has opened on the ground floor of the garage will also bring more cars into the area. Live entertainment at the Whiskey Barrel nightclub is bringing more people downtown. Also, Genesis Health Care is building a mental health center next to the garage.

Garage tour

On a recent tour of the garage, most spots were vacant.

“There's my Mercedes right there,” said Brandon Borghi, owner and operator of Fit Focus.

“And that's my pickup truck,” said jeweler Robert Sawyer.

Sawyer says the garage “is not pretty,” and is worthy of being spruced up.

“What I'm trying to say to people is, it's functional,” he said. “You need to have a place to park. When it rains, I don't get wet. When I get in my car, it's not 110 degrees because it hasn't been sitting in the sun.”

Barbershop owner Breanna Henderson also said better maintenance is needed.

“One summer I came up and painted over a lot of graffiti that was around, because I got tired of looking at it,” she said. “Paint does matter. You'd be amazed at what a coat of paint does to anything, refreshing your house, dealing with your business, giving it a little touch-up. It's minimal investment for maximal impact.”

More than a year ago, Bownes's plan to raze the garage and build a new one near City Hall failed to gain political traction, but there also hasn't been support for improving the existing structure.

In a City Hall conference room on Thursday, Bownes gave a succinct opinion on the garage.

“If you look out that window, you will see the ugliest structure in the whole state of New Hampshire,” he said.

Breanna Henderson, owner of Polished and Proper Barber Shop, has taken it upon herself to paint over graffiti in the city's parking garage. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)

Vagrancy and other nuisance problems have alleviated since the city installed signs and surveillance cameras. (Adam Drapcho/Laconia Daily Sun)