Jim Thorpe parking debate: Shop owners say rates could hurt them

The cost of parking in downtown Jim Thorpe following the installation of kiosks early next year continues to be a talking point for borough residents.

Last month, council agreed to keep the cost of parking at $1 per hour for customers paying cash and increase it to $1.25 per hour for customers paying with a debit or credit card.

Along with the cost structure came the decision to set the minimum price at $1. Motorists can currently pay 50 cents if they only need the parking space for 30 minutes.

At last week’s council meeting, resident Andrew Roberts said the decision might impact residents who need only a quick stop at a downtown business.

“I think doubling the minimum parking rate is going to hurt businesses, especially if that change takes place in January, which is already probably one of their worst months of the year,” Roberts said.

Mayor Michael Sofranko said while he understood the concern, the borough is still looking at parking revenue making up well under 1 percent of its general fund budget even after the change.

“I would venture to say that right now there are residents who are not feeding that meter to just run in somewhere for a couple of minutes,” Sofranko said. “You’re making it sound like the parking attendant is going to be sitting there watching for that and throwing a ticket on the car right away. I understand what you’re saying but look at the county lot. People may just need to run in to drop off paperwork and that is $5 right there.”

Jim Thorpe businesswoman Betty Lou McBride said changing the minimum parking rate could hurt an already struggling retail business community.

While numbers were up for the town’s recent Fall Foliage Festival, McBride said that isn’t the case for many other days and it isn’t translating into more revenue.

“We’re hurting,” she said. “We’re competing with e-commerce. Our income is down. The places are empty on a summer day. I know you need to meet your bills, but don’t do it on the back of the business owners.”

Sofranko said the borough is trying to do its part to encourage more traffic at its downtown businesses. Parking meter hours end at 5 p.m. and he feels more businesses need to take advantage of that.

“The biggest complaint I hear from people visiting Jim Thorpe is that after the meters shut down, there are no shops left open,” he said.

Council President Greg Strubinger said the borough didn’t make its minimum parking price decision without doing its research.

“We looked at other tourist areas and what they charge for parking and we feel we are in line with that,” he said. “If something needs to be adjusted down the road, we can look at that.”