Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Parking in downtown Warsaw may be tight at times, but spaces are available. That was the news given to the Board of Works today.
"One-third of the total parking spaces are available on a daily basis," Capt. Steven Foster, of the Warsaw Police Department, said. "We have certainly upgraded our enforcement of the two-hour time limit, so that should keep spaces open also. We will continue to closely monitor the situation."
Foster and Interim City Planner Jeff Noffsinger conducted a complete inventory of the parking available downtown and audited the use of both free and leased parking spaces.
According to the audit, there are 403 free parking spaces available in the downtown area. The boundaries of the area audited are Lake Street on the west, Indiana Street on the east, Fort Wayne Street on the north, and Jefferson Street, or the CSX rail line, on the south.
Four counts of open spaces were conducted: between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. July 8 and July 9, between noon and 12:30 p.m. July 8, and between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sept. 2. The fewest number of open spaces was 145 Sept. 2. The most was 214 on the morning of July 8.
"We see pretty constant usage patterns," Foster said. "And we'll continue to keep an eye on it.
"A lot of the times, it's just public perception that there isn't any parking available," he said. "If people don't see an open space right in front of where they want to go, they see it as parking isn't available."
Despite that fact, Mayor Ernie Wiggins said the city is concerned that parking is easily accessible downtown and is continuing to look at ways of making more spaces available.
"We are sensitive to the downtown parking situation and we are aware that it is seen as a problem," he said.
The city is investigating the need to acquire more spaces to lease to downtown workers, which would free up more free parking downtown and be more convenient for the workers not having to move their cars every two hours.
According to the parking audit, 96 percent of the city's 170 leased spaces are taken, leaving only seven available.
The Sept. 2 parking audit was conducted after a letter to the editor in the Times-Union was critical of the leasing of parking spaces in the city lot between Indiana and Buffalo streets.
In other business, Wiggins announced that he and all city department heads will be included in the pool of employees subject to random drug testing. He added all city employees with take-home city vehicles are also subject to the drug screening program.
Personnel moves announced Friday included Ptl. Scott Whitaker of the Warsaw Police Department, who completed six months of service and was removed from probationary status.
Lacey Francis was named interim superintendent of public works. Francis replaces Kim Leake, who resigned last week.
Ben Lippley was named assistant city planner. Lippley will also serve as an alternate building inspector.
