Village Board Recap: Parking Meter Hours, Old Marquee Sign

The Village Board discussed Monday's public hearing on parking meter hours at Thursday's briefing session, weighing the advantages and negatives of having metered parking strictly from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trustee Ed Oppenheimer questioned if employees of village businesses would park in the free metered spots after 6 p.m., thus taking away spaces for customers and patrons. He added that if that did happen, the village wouldn't have a plan in place to fix it.

"We would not have the tools to correct a problem that could exist," he said.

Mayor Francis Murray said business owners in the downtown have raved about the free parking after 6 p.m. "It doesn't appear that employees are abusing the spots," Murray said.

Oppenheimer added that there is a dearth of signage directing people toward the village's free parking spaces, and because of that, are not taking advantage of it.

Murray said he is in favor of composing a Parking Committee to determine the best way to handle the downtown parking issues, but would like to move forward with this legislation to alleviate some of the issues now.

The board also discussed the Marquee sign facing North Park Avenue. Trustees said they would love to replace the antiquated sign and will investigate the costs of installing an electronic one. That could cost in upwards of $50,000, Comptroller Michael Schussheim said.

Trustee Mike Sepe added that if the cost to replace it were too exorbitant, he would be in favor of "bringing it up to date at a relative cost."

In other news, the board approved a $14,000 payment to the New York Baseball Academy for its 2011 summer program. They also approved a bid for a new dump truck for the Department of Public Works, which was said to cost $177,763. The truck will have a plow on it as well, and officials said it should be delivered no later than Dec. 15.

The board also discussed a possible ticket amnesty program, where those who owe a significant amount in tickets would only have to pay 50 percent of the total amount including penalties. "Amnesty does generate revenue," Schussheim said.

The next board meeting is on Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. The board will host its public hearing on parking meter hours.