Soon, people visiting downtown Morgantown will once again have to fill the meter before they shop or dine.
There are multiple reasons the Morgantown Parking Authority is starting to charge for parking in most spaces on Monday, Executive Director Dana McKenzie said.
The Morgantown Parking Authority offered free parking downtown starting March 25 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of those reasons is people taking up spaces for days at a time.
People who either live or work downtown will take a parking spot all day or night, according to Gabriel Fitzwater, general manager of Pathfinder.
The problem didn’t start right away, but as things have reopened, it has gotten worse, he said.
“Free parking doesn’t help if customers can’t use it,” Fitzwater said.
John Kuehn, part owner of Spencer & Kuehn Fine Jewelry Studio, agreed and said he never thought he’d be happy to see paid parking again.
There will be at least two spaces per block with bags over the meters that offer free 10-minute parking for pickup and delivery.
McKenzie said there’s no time frame on how long those spots will remain free, but it’s something that will be talked about at the next board meeting on June 10.
The MPA will have lost $350,000 in revenue from parking permits and meters through the duration of the free parking, he said.
Five of the downtown lots are leased and require a monthly payment and there are other obligations such as a $450,000 yearly bond payment for the Wharf District parking garage.
The MPA offers permits and online payments on its website parkmpa.com.
Tweet @WillDean_DP
