Damariscotta is again researching the possibility of a pay-to-park system downtown two years after the subject sparked a months-long debate.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen asked Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus to conduct “further research on the idea” at the selectmen’s meeting May 20, Lutkus said in an email.
“I believe that it is important that we know the current state of the technology prior to even discussing whether or not pay-for-parking is a viable option for Damariscotta,” Lutkus said in the email.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen will meet with the Twin Villages Alliance Board of Directors to discuss the issue in mid-September, according to Lutkus.
Lutkus, Selectmen Jim Cosgrove, Robin Mayer, Ronn Orenstein, and George Parker; Damariscotta Waterfront Committee members Barnaby Porter and Haas Tobey; and local businessman Bob Reny were present for a presentation by a representative of Cale America Inc., which manufactures multi-space parking terminals, at the town office Wednesday, July 29.
Cale America Inc. has parking terminals in several Maine towns, including Kennebunk, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Saco, and Wells, as well as locations around the U.S. and the world, according to Regional Sales Manager Brett Ruhmann.
The terminals accept bills and coins, as well as credit and debit cards, according to Ruhmann. Credit and debit cards account for 70-80 percent of transactions.
The company offers a discount for terminals without a bill option, as bills create the most problems for the machines, according to Ruhmann.
The terminals offer pay and display and pay by plate options.
With pay by display, motorists receive a receipt at the terminal and must return to their car and place the receipt on their dashboard where parking enforcement officers can see it.
With pay by plate, motorists enter their plate sequence into the terminal and do not have to return to the vehicle. Parking enforcement officers use special equipment to determine compliance.
The terminals send real-time information to their owners via cellular signals. They run on solar power, although they can also be plugged in.
Damariscotta started looking into a pay-to-park option for the municipal parking lot at the request of then-Selectman Vicki Pinkham in August 2012.
The town commissioned a grant-funded study that recommended a $1 hourly fee with season passes available to residents.
The idea met with resistance from business leaders.
Opponents say a pay-to-park system would damage the downtown economy, while supporters say the revenue could help pay for a long-overdue reconstruction of the municipal parking lot.
After a community meeting and a survey, the selectmen voted in December 2013 to support a community fundraising effort to pay for improvements to the lot and waterfront area.