COLD SPRING – Main Street in Cold Spring on Father’s Day resembled a busy metropolis not a sleepy little village along the Hudson.
Pedestrians filled stores and waited in long lines to use public restrooms at the foot of Main Street while motorists circled the busy Route 301 thoroughfare seeking parking, many not realizing that meter employees were on the prowl ready to write a $75 ticket for illegal parking.
Cold Spring merchants have been up in arms in recent weeks since village officials implemented strict new parking regulations fearing loss of customers due to stiff fines and exorbitant hourly parking rates.
The village board listened to the business owners and has agreed to reduce the hourly rate for metered parking on Main Street from $4 to $2 per hour while also permitting drivers to pay for a 30-minute minimum instead of an hour.
The village will also increase the time allowed to park in one location from three hours to four.
Fees at the Cold Spring municipal lot along Fair Street are currently set at $3.50 per hour on weekends and $2.50 per hour on weekdays; they will also be reduced to $2 per hour daily.
However, the board failed to reduce the $75 parking tickets.
Village officials stressed that some of the changes require a public hearing, which is scheduled for June 26 before the necessary revisions are made to the village code.
Staff will then re-program and synch the parking kiosks and the Parkmobile App and field test programming before the new rates take effect.
Mayor Kathleen Foley and members of the Village Board have asked for the “community’s continued patience and understanding as we exercise due diligence and care in implementation. The public will be informed when the village is prepared to go live with these modifications.”
The board stressed that “all current meter time limitations and fees are still in effect.”
