Reading Parking Authority Names Executive Director

A 1947 topographic map of the Reading, Pennsylvania area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Reading Parking Authority on Wednesday hired Philadelphia’s former parking czar to take over as executive director and oversee the city’s garages and parking meters.

Patrick R. Mulligan, 47, of Baltimore will start May 6, more than seven months after the board fired former chief Lawrence H. Lee.

Mulligan will be paid $85,000 a year.

Acting Chairman Gary S. Wegman said he’s pleased with the depth of knowledge and experience Mulligan has in the field.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=472649

Scranton’s Parking-Garage Rates Won’t Decrease; Chamber Seeks Parking Input

As Scranton leaders are considering increasing hours, days and rates of downtown parking meters, some business owners want to see the city’s parking-garage rates reduced.

However, the court-appointed receiver in charge of the garages and their rates, Mike Washo, said he has no plans to lower garage rates, because a reduction would drain revenue from the authority and further burden city taxpayers to fund any shortfall that may arise from reduced rates.

“We don’t believe that any reduction in parking garage rates at this time will generate additional customers to justify the reduction in rates,” Mr. Washo said. “At the end of the day, we’ll end up with less revenue.”

In recent weeks, a plan by Scranton’s mayor and city council to hire a private firm, Standard Parking, to manage the city’s on-street parking meters has raised numerous questions and concerns among downtown businesses, residents and council members.  Citing Standard Parking’s estimates, council members think the city can net an additional $1.8 million a year by switching parking-meter management from the inactive Scranton Parking Authority to Standard Parking.  Under this plan, which was tabled Feb. 7 by council, meter hours would extend from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  Ten-hour meters also would increase from $1 an hour to $1.50 an hour.

Read more:  http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-s-parking-garage-rates-won-t-decrease-chamber-seeks-parking-input-1.1444474

Scranton City Council Targets Parking Garages, Meters

The beleaguered Scranton Parking Authority may have its five parking garages under outside management as soon as today, Scranton City Council announced Thursday.

Meanwhile, council also introduced a proposed ordinance Thursday to terminate on Oct. 8 the city’s parking-meter cooperation agreement with SPA, under which SPA receives 10 percent of meter revenues.

Both actions – one dealing with parking garages and the other dealing with meters – would remove all control of SPA’s two revenue streams from the SPA’s board, which is appointed by Mayor Chris Doherty, according to council President Janet Evans and council solicitor Boyd Hughes.

Regarding outside management, the SPA’s new court-appointed receiver, former Lackawanna County Commissioner Mike Washo, is expected to hire a firm called Central Parking, Mr. Hughes said during council’s meeting. He said Central Parking is the second-largest parking management company in the nation.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/scranton-council-targets-parking-garages-meters-1.1369583

Stupid News

Two teenage boys (18 & 19) from Pittston are in a heap of trouble today after stealing………..

wait for it……………….

a parking meter (WTF) on Thursday night at around 6:30 pm (when it was still light out, duh).

They took lugged the parking meter to an apartment (evidently someone noticed this and called the police) and were going to smash it open for the coins inside.  Because there is probably a million dollars in a parking meter in Pittston, right?

These two chuckleheads were arraigned today and charged with criminal conspiracy to commit theft, criminal attempt to commit theft, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.  The older boy was also charged with theft.

I think the gene pool dried up before they dove in.