I am a downtown business owner. I write this in response to the Jan. 29 article “As Waterville revitalization efforts continue, parking issues frustrate business owners.”

Part of the allowance for the dorm on the Concourse was for Colby College to ensure the city that it would instruct the residential students of the dorm they were not allowed to park in the Concourse and that Colby would provide a shuttle. The shuttle is quite regular and the students use it. There are other students from other colleges that come to downtown Waterville. That is a very good thing.

Parking will get squeezed. A regular, easily accessible shuttle from the Head of Falls up Temple and around the perimeter of the Concourse and back again would help ease the parking pains. Incremental planning with flexibility of those plans seems to be lacking and the process seems more reactionary than progressive.

The Concourse has room for a parking garage. I believe that the cost of building such a structure could be offset by selling the spaces to be built to people or businesses that would be using a space or two, in a condo-style manner with monthly or yearly fees to offset maintenance.

I would buy one. Parking spaces are real estate. Property has value. Metering the parking spaces should be considered. A kiosk where one can buy a ticket for an hour, or for two or more hours, should not be out of the question (credit cards and cash). The tickets can be sponsored by enterprises to offer discounts at their shop.

I look forward to the new hotel. I look forward to the new arts center proposed for the Sterns Building. I also look forward to ways that traffic flow, accessibility, and parking will be addressed.

Robert Sezak

Fairfield

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