Tom Lucia, the manager at Archie Moore’s on Elizabeth Street, had no idea the price of parking outside his restaurant had increased until a customer walked in and told him.
“No one informed us,” Lucia said.
Further up Elizabeth Street, Marie Massari, the office manager at Smile Dental Center, said the same thing.
At Sunflower Dental, also on Elizabeth Street, dentist Anita Dugatto said she too was never notified of the new rates — and she’s a member of the city’s tax board.
The new meter rates, which were approved by the Parking Authority in November, went into effect in January.
At the old rate, a quarter bought 30 minutes in a meter. Now, 25 cents buys 20 minutes.
Parking in the municipal garage is also pricier. Instead of paying $3 to park for two hours, garage patrons now have to pay $4.
Officials at the Parking Authority said the reason for the increase is simple. The parking garage is the heart of the downtown business district — major repairs have been undertaken since 2006, but another roughly $1.5 million is needed to continue to job.
Merchants said the new rates aren’t putting anyone out of business. Their concern is that the new rates are annoying their customers.
“We’re upset that we weren’t told,” said Dugatto, an active member of the local Democratic Party. “No one knew about it. That’s our biggest frustration. There wasn’t even a note in the bill.”
Since the rates went up, Dugatto said she gives coins to patrons worried about getting a ticket.
“I have this now,” Dugatto said as she showed off a coin purse. “We give quarters to customers if they need them and I have my staff go down [to the meters] and put quarters in [for customers] too.”
Anthony Szewczyk, a member of the parking authority and a former Alderman, said the rates were increased because it’s the only source of income for the parking authority.
“We don’t get money from the city. We are self-supporting,” Szewczyk said. “The garage needs money, there’s maintenance that has to be done and salaries that need to get paid.”
According to Szewczyk, because the parking garage, which sees about 10,000 cars a month, was built in the mid-1970s, it needs on-going maintenance.
“We take maintenance seriously,” Szewczyk said. “We’re in charge of keeping what we have in tact and every bit [of money] helps us.”
Merchants said they understand the need for repairs, but Sue DeFala, owner of Styles Hair and Nails, said the rates are a nuisance.
“It’s too much. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is for seniors,” DeFala said. “I’ve had people not come back because they got tickets. There has to be a better solution.”
Parking authority members pointed out seniors get discounted rates at the parking garage.
Since the rates were increased, DeFala said her customers are on edge.
“People aren’t relaxed when they come here. People are afraid of getting a ticket,” DeFala said. “I’ve had customers run out with hair dye on just to feed the meter.”
While DeFala said the meters were originally put in place for a good reason, she doesn’t think they belong in downtown Derby. There are about 100 meters downtown.
“This isn’t downtown New Haven. There isn’t much going on here,” DeFala said. “They should be happy there are businesses downtown.”
