HONESDALE, Pa. — A parking meter graveyard sits inside the Honesdale Department of Public Works. The lifespan of some of these older meters has expired.
"They're hard to see; they're getting hard to see. They cannot fix these anymore; Duncan Technologies out in Wisconsin. So, once they're dead, they're dead," explained Honesdale DPW Director Dan Brown.
Broken meters or meters that do not pass a state-certified timing test are being replaced with new ones.
"When it's sitting there, it's on an upward angle, and it has a better sight glass. It's a better visual. It's digital; all the information is on it, and it gives you a more accurate and quicker response," added Brown.
To pay for the new meters — that cost $400 apiece — and keep the revenue stream coming in for the borough, the cost of parking per hour is going up from 25 cents an hour to 50 cents an hour.
Parking fines in Honesdale were increased last month, too.
"Yes, the fines have already been raised from December 27 of last year from $5 to $15 (for an expired meter)," explained Parking Enforcement Officer Eric Berkihiser.
Other parking violations went from $25 to $30.
While the DPW switches out the meters, they're empty. So if you come to park on Main Street right now, you're in luck; parking is free. But once the switch is made, businesses on Main Street are nervous that it could have a negative impact.
"It could affect a lot of families that are on budgets and stuff, and like I said, again, it fit the census not much, but in the long run, it adds up, and it could discourage people from shopping on Main Street, which will hurt a lot of the local businesses which are actually already hurting after COVID. And just because of our prices skyrocketing," said Lisa Cowger, a Honesdale resident and employee at Elegante Restaurant and Pizzeria.
Cowger and other workers there hope the increase does not keep people from coming in for some stromboli or from putting something extra in the tip jar, so they can pay to park on Main Street too.