Minutes - Approved

Town of Ridgefield
Parking Authority Regular Meeting
January 18, 2024 – 8:00 a.m. Town Hall
Lower Level Small Conference Room, 400 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT
MEETING MINUTES - APPROVED 

Members present: J. Wilmot, E. Burns, M. Recck
Members absent: None
Also Present: L. Yarrish, Parking Enforcement Officer Chairman Recck called the meeting to order at 8:32 a.m. (one member was delayed)

1. Approval of minutes from December 14, 2023. Mr. Recck moved, and Ms. Wilmot seconded, approval of minutes for 12/14/23. Motion passed 3 – 0.
2. Parking enforcement officer’s report. The planters in front of the Lantern restaurant have been moved and are no longer an issue for Main Street parking spaces. Rodier Flowers has moved from their space to across Main Street, into part of the old Deborah Ann’s space. He reported an increase in violations and tickets given so far in January vs. during the holidays.
3. CVS/USPS lot discussion
   1. No progress with USPS. Many non-tenants of Benenson are parking to the west of the Mariner in the USPS lot which is not patrolled. Mr. Recck proposed contacting Ms. Quattrocchi to let her know what is happening in the lot and to propose that some limits are imposed with town enforcement, without an agreement with the USPS. He will send the draft email to the members before sending to Ms. Quattrocchi.
   2. License agreement amendment. Ms. Burns shared a draft Exhibit to be incorporated into the Benenson agreement, reflecting the changes in the layout of the lot, time changes, and the EV spaces. Corrections were made and she will incorporate those into the document and will send to Mr. Recck for forwarding to Ms. Quattrocchi.
4. Governor Street lot to Bailey Avenue sidewalk discussion. Mr. Recck attended a meeting with First Selectman Marconi, along with Jake Muller, and Teresa Santoro of the RVNA. Due to some questions about the lot lines, Ms. Santoro has sent to Mr. Recck the documents that correctly show the property lines. The RVNA is concerned about creating a sidewalk that will lead to their parking lot without an adjoining crosswalk. Further discussion will be necessary.
5. Donnelly lot - Ancona’s Wines & Liquors. The owner continues to put his signs out during the days that the Thrift Shop is open, and no responses have been received from Rex Gustafson despite numerous attempts to reach him. This item will be continued until it is resolved.
6. Regency Centers potential lot enforcement. No progress. The entire agreement needs to be revised in the new year. Ms. Burns will follow up.
7. Discuss EV parking limits for municipal lots: Mr. Recck had some discussions with town hall regarding possibly moving the EV stations behind town hall to another location, preferably the Governor Street, but it seems unlikely to happen due to logistics of relocating the station. The PA clarified that the 4 hr. limit on the 2 EV spaces should be enforced, that the vehicle must be charging when it occupies the space, and that the 4 hour limit does not apply to other nearby spaces – those remain 1 hour spaces and vehicles will be ticketed if they violate the time limits as posted.
8. Parking Data review: Consistent with what Mr. Yarrish reported, there were 95 tickets issued in the past 30 days vs. 60 during the same period in December, an increase of 58%. Branchville Station daily parking fees were unchanged.
9. Other business: Ms. Burns suggested that Mr. Recck request reports from town hall regarding the new parking permits sold by the town for period that commenced on January 1, 2024. He will ask Ms. Fernandez to send them.

Adjournment. Ms. Burns moved, and Mr. Recck seconded a motion to adjourn at 9:10 a.m. Motion approved 3 – 0.

Respectfully submitted, Ellen Burn