Downtown parking issues have found a space in Warren County government.
“I’ve had merchants complain to me that several employees of the courthouse park in two-hour parking,” said Haley. “They come out ever so often and move their cars around. Merchants don’t like it because they take up spots in front of their businesses. The judge and court officers have assigned places. Other employees there do not.”
Haley brought the issue before members of the county Building and Grounds Committee and was given permission to address it.
“There are some employees of the courthouse that are regularly parking in two-hour parking places,” said Haley. “Every two hours they go out and move them. If it’s a day when parking enforcement isn’t issuing tickets, they park in the same spot all day long, even on court dates.”
McMinnville officials have battled downtown parking issues for years. Most recently, consideration was given to reducing two-hour parking times to one hour. However, the decision was made to hold off.
An unofficial breakdown of downtown parking:
• There are 72 parking spaces in the area behind the Chamber and Park Theater.
• There are 97 parking spaces in the block behind Paul Holder Realty and Foster & Foster.
• There are 156 parking spaces in the area behind First National Bank and around the Farmers Market.
• There are 77 parking spaces on Main Street in the general shopping district from Chancery Street to just past Pioneer Pediatrics.
This is grand total of 489 parking spaces doesn’t include Spring Street, Morford Street, and the public parking area off Spring Street. It also doesn’t include parking in front of the post office, which is pretty much filled entirely by post office customers.
Committee members gave unanimous approval for Haley to ask courthouse employees to use other parking spaces and not those on Main Street or Court Square.
