The decision to carry more park quarters is a win-win situation
Rehoboth Beach business owners who have been running out of quarters for parking meters this summer are about to catch a break.
The city has partnered with Citizens Bank to offer businesses the opportunity to purchase up to $1,000 in quarters per day until supplies are exhausted, starting Thursday, July 3.
Businesses can purchase the quarters in $500 increments only, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at City Hall, Monday through Saturday. There is no charge to the businesses for the service and only cash or checks will be accepted.
The deal to provide more quarters came after business owners complained they were running out of quarters. The city raised parking meter rates in the ocean block to $1.50 per hour and $1.25 per hour on the second block of Rehoboth Avenue. Those rate increases were meant to cover the costs of upgrading 51 meters to accept credit cards. The new meters have not arrived yet and those who want to park downtown instead have to pump quarters into the meters.
With business complaining about the new rates and the lack of quarters, city leaders including Mayor Sam Cooper, city manager Greg Ferrese, commissioners Ron Paterson and Paul Kuhns and Rehoboth-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carol Everhart held a meeting Tuesday, July 1 to come up with a short-term solution until the credit card meters arrive. Besides selling quarters at City Hall, parking attendants will also carry $20 in quarters, parking meter heads will be emptied more often and change machines will be loaded more often.
Kuhns said the city did not conceive of the number of quarters needed when it raised the parking meter rates. He said the decision to carry more quarters was a win-win situation for both the city and the businesses because the businesses can now provide quarters for visitors and still have some left over for change.
Everhart said she is pleased that a solution was worked out between the businesses and the city before the July 4 weekend.
Cooper could not be reached for comment.
source: capegazette.com
