PLYMOUTH -- The borough of Plymouth has not had working parking meters for more than a decade, but the situation is about to change.
The meters are certified, the poles are up, and within the next couple of weeks, police in Plymouth will install and enforce about 110 parking meters along Main Street.
People who live in Plymouth are not used to feeding parking meters. police have not enforced them in at least 10 years because the meters were out of date.
But now, they have been updated to meet state regulations. A quarter will get you 30 minutes of parking.
"I don't think it's a good idea," said Plymouth resident Maryalice Johnson. "People aren't going to park because they don't want to pay."
With so many empty storefronts on Main Street in Plymouth, many business owners are asking what the point of installing the meters is.
"If we had businesses, we would be able to use them and they would be great, but there aren't too many businesses in town," said Jim Mahon, owner of Today's Treasures.
Jack Bednarski owns Bednarski Furniture and believes people will either park for free in the municipal lot on Main Street or just not come to Plymouth at all.
"It's probably a deterrent to business," said Bednarski. "They're going to be a pain. It costs money to check them, have a cop pick up the money, go count it. I don't know how much they can make. There's not a lot of traffic, it's not a lot."
Plymouth borough spent about $11,000 to certify and refurbish the parking meters. Officials hope the money collected will cover the cost and help boost the borough's bottom line.
