DUNMORE, Pa. — New parking meters along Drinker Street and Blakely Street in Dunmore means free parking is a thing of the past.
The borough received grant money to buy about 20 new parking meters. These meters give people options when they pay to park.
"We wanted people to have the option not to just go to a kiosk and use their credit card, and make it difficult. With these, you can just put a quarter in. That gives you 15 minutes. It's $1 for an hour and a two-hour limit, so $2 for two hours," explained Dunmore Mayor Max Conway.
Parking hasn't been enforced in this area for several years.
Business owners complained about cars being parked for hours and urged borough officials to get these meters. Now, they hope it will ease some of those issues in an area where finding a place to park is like finding gold.
"We've been down here for about 26 years, and we've heard that a lot, so it's going to be nice. Even for the older people coming in, it's a lot safer to get in if they're able to come right up front," said Chris Lowe at Cara Mia's Delicatessen.
"There's times I know when people have told me they would have stopped in if there was some place to park on the street. I'm hoping that it helps with some of that," said Beth Ann Zero at the Wonderstone Gallery.
Dunmore police will enforce the new parking method. The fine will be $20 for expired meters, but if you pay within 24 hours, it will cost $10.
It will be a change for some people to remember their change, but business owners say it's a step in the right direction.
"People were used to parking here for free for the last couple of years, so now they're going to have to get used to it," Zero added.
Mayor Conway hopes the funds they get from these meters can be reinvested in the community to beautify Dunmore corners.