POTTSVILLE -- Changes are coming to parking in downtown Pottsville. The city has plans to get rid of many of its parking meters, replacing them with a smartphone app.
Pottsville's Garfield Square is in the process of getting new sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping, but that's not the only new thing Pottsville residents can expect in this area. Parking will be changing, too.
The city is removing all parking meters in Garfield Square and is replacing them with a smartphone app that will monitor the parking.
Newswatch 16 spoke to people who travel through the square, including Nikole Tray of Pottsville, who is not a big fan of the app idea.
"For a lot of younger people it will be OK, but for a lot of older people, they don't really even know how to use a phone half the time without helping them, so I feel like it would be a bad move for older people," Tray said.
While others, like Lee Walkusky believes using an app will make it easier.
"I guess they're just trying to upgrade. Most people have a good phone now."
Right now, city leaders are only removing parking meters in Garfield Square, but there are plans to spread this technology to other parts of the city.
Pottsville's city manager says using a parking app will make it easier for the city to enforce parking regulations. They will be able to monitor the program online.
He also says traditional parking meters can be problematic because they require so much maintenance to keep them running.
Either way, there are still some citizens who are not completely on board.
"In a way, I do hope they expand it to the rest of the city, but my honest opinion, I just think Pottsville is trying to make a quick dollar," Christina Holmes said.
The city is still deciding between two different parking apps. They hope to begin using them in Garfield Square later this year.