POTTSVILLE, Pa. -- Parking meters. Oh, those dreaded parking meters. Many streets in the business district portion of Pottsville are lined with them, and for the first time since 2003, rates on those meters will be going up.
"16 years, never having raised rates. I don't think any business could survive going forward. Things go up every year. We have maintenance on other garages and other parking areas. We have meter replacements to do," said John Levkulic, Pottsville Parking Authority.
And so the Pottsville Parking Authority Board voted for a 25 cent rate increase. Currently, a quarter gets you 30 minutes, but within the next couple of weeks, a quarter will only buy you 20 minutes Monday through Friday.
"If it can help the city, it's not an altogether bad thing. It impacts people that come often who have to park downtown. Many times, you raise prices, it causes economic hardships to some people, so I think that could be a problem, but if the city is improving it for good reason, I think that's also a good thing for the economy as well," said Beth Freeman of Frackville.
Now, there are 600 meters in the city of Pottsville. Some of them are 50 years old. In total, 400 meters will be replaced. Many of them will be switched out with newer, refurbished models.
"I would appreciate it if money could come into the city, then we could help the city. Amen," said Lou Poda of Pottsville.
Pottsville Parking Authority is also teaming up with the Park Mobile app, allowing drivers to pay for meters with a cell phone or credit card.
"They could be sitting in a meeting and it'll notify them that they have 15 minutes left. Do you want more time on that app? They never have to leave that seat, they can just select another hour," said Levkulic.