By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — A final forum has been set for April 29 for the public to say where they want a parking garage to go.
Mayor Donna Holaday said yesterday that the meeting will be a chance for citizens to share their views on the sites and potential designs.
The mayor and City Council are studying two possible locations for the garage: the Green Street municipal parking lot and an area of Titcomb Street.
The city is working with the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority and Tetra Tech Rizzo of Framingham on the study. The garage will serve as an intermodal parking facility with an MVRTA station for buses.
Holaday said the City Council will be asked to vote to adopt a site at their first meeting in May. Both the mayor and council need to approve it.
As the garage moves into the second phase, the city will need to move forward with identifying funding for the project. Holaday has asked Sen. John Kerry to include the project in a transportation bond bill; some money remains in the current federal earmark.
The mayor said her priority right now is implementing paid parking in the city-owned parking lots. "We need the revenue," she said. Also, the data collected from paid parking will give the city more information — where drivers are coming from and how many spots are used during peak times, Holaday said.
IF YOU GO:
What: Public forum to discuss downtown parking garage
When: Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Where: City Hall auditorium
