Waterfront Trust to charge for parking next month

By Katie Farrell
Staff writer

July 06, 2009 03:57 am

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NEWBURYPORT — The Waterfront Trust will be implementing a "pay and display" parking system on their spaces downtown as a way to generate revenue.

Chairman Cliff Goudey told fellow members at a meeting last week the system likely won't be in place until August, "well after Yankee Homecoming."

Identical to the parking system in Portsmouth, N.H., visitors to the Waterfront Trust parking lot —which has 64 spaces, some of which are used by local businesses under arrangements with the Trust — will find a space, go to the parking ticket kiosk and insert the money or credit card to pay for their expected length of time. The driver will receive a ticket to display on their dashboard.

Goudey said the parking rates will be 50 cents an hour on weekdays and $1 an hour on weekends. The rates will be in effect 24/7.

The Trust's waterfront parking lot is located off Merrimac Street, in the vicinity of the Black Cow restaurant and the Chamber of Commerce office.

Currently, a parking system on the waterfront lots, shared by the Trust and the Newburyport Redevelopment Authority, charges $5 to park on weekends and $8 on holidays or Yankee Homecoming weekends.

"Frankly, for most purposes, it will end up costing people less," Goudey said Friday.

Trustee Joe Brown questioned how the parking system would be enforced.

The city's parking clerk will patrol the area, Goudey responded, in exchange for the city keeping the funding from tickets.