Around Town

Parking Commission Mulls Free Downtown Parking

By |

Should municipal parking lots in downtown New Canaan be free to all? The idea of eliminating metered parking in the downtown was discussed briefly during Thursday’s meeting of the Parking Commission at Town Hall. “There is the idea of not charging for the commercial parking lots—but still charging for the commuter parking lots, and still having enforcement of hours, whether it be two hours or three hours,” Parking Commission Chairman Keith Richey said, explaining an idea floated by Selectman Nick Williams during a recent Board of Selectmen meeting. Richey said a rough breakdown of the revenue between the commercial and commuter lots reveals that it would be a loss of about $200,000 in revenue for the town. 

“So, it wasn’t as bad as some people thought, because you’re still getting the commuter revenue,” he said, adding that revenue generated from infractions would probably be comparable to what it is currently. “Because people will overstay… your ticket value may be unchanged,” Richey said.

Government

Over Husband’s Pleas, Town Officials Uphold $30 Parking Ticket for Woman Who Obstructed Two Spaces

By |

The Parking Commission this month upheld a $30 ticket issued to a woman who obstructed two spaces in Morse Court. 

Unable to attend an appeal hearing herself due to a business trip, Fern Ghavidel’s husband, Kambuj Ghavidel, told members of the Commission that the violation was unintentional. On the afternoon in question, Ghavidel said, his wife arrived at Morse Court for an appointment at a beauty salon. She parked over the line of the space to her right because the car already parked to her left was over the line, preventing her from using the stall, he said. “It was a chain reaction,” Ghavidel said during the Sept. 4 appeal hearing, held at Town Hall.

Government

Commission Votes 3-2 To Uphold New Canaan Woman’s $30 Parking Ticket

By |

The Parking Commission this month voted 3-2 to uphold a $30 ticket that had been issued to a New Canaan woman who parked in a loading zone on Forest Street. Denise Luccarelli told members of the appointed body at her appeal hearing that she “had all of Forest Street to park on” when she went to breakfast at New Canaan Diner with a friend on the morning of Aug. 19 (a Monday). “And everyone knows where the handicapped spot is, so I knew if I parked two or three car lengths away from the handicapped spot, I would be good,” Luccarelli said during the hearing, held Sept. 4 at Town Hall.

Government

Divided Commission Voids $25 Ticket for New Canaan Man Who Parked Poorly Downtown

By |

Officials last week voided a $25 ticket issued to a New Canaan man who parked more than 12 inches from the curb on Main Street downtown one morning this summer. Joseph Somma told members of the Parking Commission during an appeal hearing that he’d been making a quick run from the New Canaan Field Club on the morning of June 24 (a Monday) to Baskin-Robbins to pick up ice cream for kids. A resident of New Canaan for 16 years, Somma spotted one parking space in front of the popular ice cream shop, pulled into it with his new truck and “didn’t realize how bad I did park,” he told the Commission during the Sept. 4 hearing, held at Town Hall. “I did park and I broke the rules.

Government

Data: Parking Tickets Issued and Associated Revenue Down Since 2017

By |

New Canaan issued about 20% fewer parking tickets for the first eight months of 2018 compared to 2017, and the figure has declined again by an another approximately 5% this year, officials say. Total revenue from parking tickets also has declined in the year-to-date period since 2017, from about $263,000 to $231,000, according to new data released during Thursday’s meeting of the Parking Commission. 

So far this year, the Parking Bureau itself has either dismissed or reduced the fines associated with tickets by some $52,000, according to the department’s manager, Stacy Miltenberg. “We are being lenient and merciful,” Miltenberg said at the meeting, held in Town Hall. “We are going out there and we are trying to educate people, and maybe people don’t understand but we are trying to be a kinder and gentler department. I know some people don’t think we are.