HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-15-2024 Parking Authority Meeting MinutesCity of Fairhope Parking Authority Meeting Minutes – July 15, 2024
Members present – Bryan Flowers, Morgan Slay, Mandy Bezeredi, Chief Stephanie Hollinghead,
Chad Bartz, Chris Shrader, and Josh Turner
o Call to order – 8:00am
o Approval of Minutes – Chris made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 3
meeting. Mandy seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Parking Garage Discussion:
o Bryan reviewed a summary of the results from the parking garage study (below). Chad
volunteered to create a one-page document that recaps the data with day and hour
comparisons. This can be used when we present the results to the City Council.
o May/June/July Results – Summary:
a. May/1st Week in June
i. Hampton Inn – Average Number of Empty Spaces – 66
ii. Public Parking – Average Number of Empty Spaces -- 64
b. Mid-June thru Mid-July
i. Hampton Inn – Average Number of Spaces - 63
o Public Parking -- Average Number of Spaces – 63
o Hampton Inn Parking Issue – After the parking garage study, it was evident that Hampton
Inn guests were parking in the public spaces and on the street . The Authority discussed
asking Hampton Inn to enforce their parking spaces. This would open more public parking
spaces on the lower levels and likely push more cars into the upper levels. Morgan
recommended we conduct another parking count after this takes effect.
o Miscellaneous
o Chief reported that the issues and tasks below are in the City Plan for the parking garage.
• Exterior Painting
• Additional Lighting
• Power Wash the Inside
• Cleanliness
o Public Awareness Campaign from the City
• Paige has created cards from the social media post made by Sheri Swartz with
Fairhope PD. The cards will be given to downtown merchants to distribute to
customers. They will also be available at the Welcome Center. The cards include
information about the parking garage shuttle which now has 2 drivers and runs
Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm.
i. Chief suggested that Officer Drew Craze distribute the cards when he leaves
tickets on car windows.
• The Authority discussed creating shuttle stops at specific downtown points. Each
member was asked to come to the August Work Session with recommendations for
the stops.
One Way Street Initiative
o One Way Street Initiative:
• Pine Street – 2-hour parking will be enforced on Pine Street
• Chief will reach out to Richard Johnson to determine the feasibility of making the
streets below one way and how many spaces could be gained.
i. Oak Street
ii. Summit
iii. St. James
• The Authority discussed creating 2-3 hour parking for the downtown area. The
discussion touched on the area from Oak to Morphy (north to south) and Church to
Bancroft (west to east) for a limited time/day window such as 11am-6pm Monday-
Saturday. Chief said she would need 2 additional officers to enforce limited
parking. If we choose to make this recommendation, it will need to be presented to
and approved by the City Council.
Other Potential Parking Areas
o Discussion about the areas below occurred, but no recommendations made
• K-1 Area – Along St. James Street and Behind the Buildings.
• Any Vacant Areas – Good Example is the back of Greer’s. Potential acquisition or
lease from the entity.
Retail Association – Next Meeting. Bryan would like to attend. Chad said the last 2 meetings have
been canceled. He will let Bryan know when they will meet again.
Quick Overview of Our By-Laws – reviewed briefly, no time for discussion
New Business –
• It was noted that the Planning and Zoning Committee has not contacted Chad (the Parking
Authority liaison) to attend meetings. This should be revisited with Hunter Simmons.
• The Authority discussed ticketing large trucks that do not use the appropriate zoning areas.
• Bryan plans to ask the Mayor for a meeting to update her on our progress.
• August 5th – Work Session from 8-10 at the Museum
o Each member was asked to send agenda items to Bryan