And you can't even "check the meter" -- you have to move your car if you don't want to risk a ticket, and who knows where you might end up? 2 hours isn't nearly long enough if you want to enjoy a relaxing dining experience.

so true... Oh I'm sorry -were you talking about West Chester? Sounds just like it!!

Kim, non-serious answer: Because that requires logical thinking, something that sometimes is lacking in our leadership.

Serious answer, they did have a parking study done. Which recommended instituting a parking plan. The specifics of that plan was left up to the borough, and was haphazardly implemented. Now we lack the leadership from council that can actually bother to take the time to try to correct it.

They have tried to make corrections, but even those were hastily done. Such as the residential surveys they tried to send out to the downtown area. They got a poor response rate. Of course they did, if you expect somebody to take the time to mail something in they never asked for to begin with. And plus probably half of my neighbors on this block are spanish speaking, I do not believe there was a spanish version.

Council likes to hand things off to others, and does not like to micromanage or logically implement and follow intelligent project planning.

Don't expect a call either, quite a few people in different aspects of town development have offered to give advice, pro bono, and not been taken up on it.

There actually was a parking study done several years ago. The problem showed that our parking problems were backwards! We have availability during the day, when most municipalities charge for parking and we were near max capacity at night when municipalities gave discounted or free parking. It has not changed. Buiding a garage does not help this problem, the problem lies in modeling the businesses downtown after Manayunk and West Chester, both areas have a thriving daytime business life. Something we are lacking.

shows their priorities and greed. The ultimate goal for me is to have the parking authority disbanded. They have proven to cut corners and practice unlawfully before and are doing so yet again. With no checks and balances to small government the only thing someone can do is fight the system from a legal standpoint. The borough council may not change anything but by putting this out there publicly, citizens can be more educated on the matter and take appropriate actions. The idea of trying to turn Phoenixville into a quick stop for people is asinine at the least, and those stores clientele were never the target for the parking authority, longer staying individuals were.

The last time i checked we are all citizens of the US and by extension have the right to due process, you may see this as a waste of time and money however in a municipality governed by citizen boards the only real way to see any action is by taking this to court. The main concern of the borough has and always will be money. This is the first step to change. The citations issued by parking enforcement officers do not allow you to contest them unless you wait for the borough to take you to court over the matter. As Mr. Bradley's first client in this matter and the one who brought it to his attention there are many more things to consider before claiming someone to be a clown. I greatly encourage everyone to read the borough's codes to actually understand the scope of the parking authority. The problem arises not that the borough doesn't have the authority to issue citations (they do as granted by the commonwealth of PA in 2010) but what they cite for and if they are doing so unlawfully. The majority of the people fighting their citations are business owners and workers who receive multiple citations. The options for those of us who park in town all day for work are very limited. Sure I could pay the $10 a month for a parking pass which is a reasonable fee, but what exactly does that get me? Limited parking in certain lots only and no guarantee of a space. Alienating the people that work and support this town is the greater trajedy and the fact the borough doesn't seem to care

The parking authority was disbanded several years ago. It is now a department of the borough.

So six business are onboard with fighting this? That is a very small percentage based on the number of businesses that are currently there.

Alex P,

No one is trying to turn this town into a "quick stop shop" as you say, they are trying to give everyone who comes to Pville a chance to have descent parking without having to drive around for long periods of time or park miles away. There needs to be a way to keep people moving along instead of parking in a spot at night and leaving their car sit for the entire next day.

It is a waste of money, borough tax paying money because it will cost alot of money in legal fees, peoples time (that could be spent on other things), ultimately go back to the way things were before the parking Authority/department. Remember, the reason this whole thing came about was because patrons and businesses complained about the lack of parking taken up by shop owners and residents whom live above the shops.

Just because only 6 people have gone through a specific lawyer does not mean that there are only 6 people upset about the situation.

The way i see it the borough has brought this forth, i simply as a citizen have a right to defend myself against the charges. You call it a waste of tax payer's money then bring that up to the borough for charging people with false offenses and simply trying to get away with it. I'm not about to pay random fines and fees for offenses i never actually committed.

Just because patrons had a problem with parking did not mean that they wanted to be given a timeline to come and go in the "downtown" section of the borough. Sure there is a need for parking enforcement but the way this has been done is simply wrong and that's the end story.

Lynette, I respectfully disagree. I go downtown with my family a few times a month as well. However I have gotten cheaper parking rates in Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, and Media to name a few places. Cut the rate to 30 minutes per $.25 and it would make a lot more sense. $1 per hour is too much.

Garages go for about $20K per space, give or take. Exactly how would you propose to pay for it. Yeah, borrow the money. And how do you propose to pay it back?

The Borough started these cases. The defendants are only defending themselves. In this country, one gets to do that.

The BOROUGH is wasting your money by taking these matters to court with little to no reason or warrant, and well informed citizens would know that the parking authority is hemorrhaging tax payers money and not bringing in enough to cover it's own costs.

Don't point fingers at people that are simply exercising their right to due process and accusing them of wasting tax payers money. That is what the legal system is for, it is not a lawsuit against the borough to defend, it is the borough that has taken these matters to court you are pointing in the wrong direction led only by you're emotions to your taxes.

Perhaps, but didn't you lose when you ran for mayor, Mr. Tigro? I think that shows what people thought of your leadership.

Yes, Lynnette I did run for mayor and yes I did lose. I have never shyed away from my beliefs on how to make Phoenixville a much better place in which for all of us to live. I took great pride in efforts to make this town vibrant and a safe haven. I have never hidden from anyone with a differing opinion from my own and will NEVER do so. Since you seem to be willing to knock my leadership, please feel free to run for office, I would look forward to seeing you on a campaign trail expressing your views and letting people criticize them for you. I am still involved in a few community service groups and have not given up on another possible run for office, so you may yet see me again and I look forward to discussing with you the future of our community. If you desire a conversation in the mean time, please feel free to call me on my cell 610-633-3486.

Summer please bring your comment to the next borough council meeting. Otherwise they _will_ fall on deaf ears.

Summer, Ed is correct. You need to present this to the borough council at the next meeting and stay on it to keep them aware of the situation. But there is no "parking authority". The parking authority is the borough. The borough is the parking authority.

Again, APR is WRONG about a garage. Obviously he didn't do his homework on the cost of a parking garage or the cost per space. Unless some business person who has lost their mind decides to sprinkle their fairy dust of money of Pville and donate a garage then one will never be built for the sole purpose of residential parking or town visitor parking. Some business complex may come along that will allow mixed use on a limited basis (say weekends for visitor parking) but to build a garage out of the goodness in their steely hearts just isn't reality.

Right APR. Again, I believe it was you that first changed your name to copy my name so I was simply having fun watching you chase my tail and posting links that were not there. Idiot. And I didn't get banned. If you look at my account its' all the same anonymous me. Eventually after I know you read this I will erase my comments again so you have nothing to refer to but I will leave some of my other comments just to let you know that I'm still here and not banned.

Yeah, let's tow the people coming to town to spend money here and keep our businesses alive. Sigh! While I feel bad that some residents come home from work on a Friday night on and can't park near their homes, you kind of know what you are getting into when your buy or rent a home near Bridge Street that doesn't have a garage or driveway. It's just part of the deal when you live close to town. The positive is you can walk to the stores, parks, library where people like me who live outside the downtown area have to drive.

What we need is to use all of unused steel company land and create another lot in town. It would actually generate revenue and be better then the empty space we have had there for the past 25+ years!

Anonymous again (I see you created yet another account after having all your comments deleted yesterday and being banned) - I said a LOT. They could easily build an additional 50+ car lot in town that would make money but the owner of the land is holding out to build condos on it. "Live, work, play". That is the "fairy dust". Try to keep it civil today before you end up banned forever. I heard they eventually ban your IP address so you can't keep making new names so you amy want to keep that in mind before going on another rampage. Again, I suggest you see someone at Fellowship Health Resources as they can help you manage your mental health issues.

Have a nice day as this will be my last reply to you (I don't believe in feeding the trolls or getting involved in arguments with people who are clearly sick and really need help.

You're right APR, maybe we can let you use our "connections" to get them to donate a 50 car lot with their fairy dust money. Hey, I'm all for it if you can get it done. I'll even buy you dinner for you and your family at any restaurant if you get it done.

In other news I'd like to trade the Eagles group of quarterbacks for Aaron Rodgers. Or maybe the Sixers could trade Evan Turner for LeBron James.

Wait.... so the parking authority is issuing tickets on Hall street? What are the tickets for? Because any citizen can look through the borough code and see that parking is not limited on Hall street. And if they are indeed issuing tickets in anything other than parking prohibited or handicapped zones then they are violating the law by doing so.

Waaaaaa, I got a ticket. Mommy take care of it for me.

Uh, how is me exercising my legal rights to appeal a ticket and actually BEATING the case and having them admit they were wrong and withdrawl the ticket me having "my mommy take care of it"? You are one strange fellow. Again my advice to anyone that gets a ticket in a non metered spot in town is DO NOT PAY IT! Fight in in court on general principle. When enough people beat them in court, they will eventually have to back down. People who refuse to learn and use the law don't deserve freedom and and easy marks to get robbed by scams like this "parking authority".

Amen John...some of these people really need to be banned from the site as they add nothing to the debate and are frankly mentally ill and need help.

Thank you, I was not aware such a study had been done. At least the idea was considered, rather than summarily dismissed. I hope that an optimal solution can be found, because Phoenixville is a nice town, and I'd like to see it prosper.

John, while a a garage wouldn't work, there is plenty of room for a profitable lot on the old steel site. Sadly one of the old school family developers is holding the land hostage however because he wants to build condos on it despite the fact we have a ton of empty housing stock in town as is. Thank ed r. for eh info, not the resident nut case.

Wasn't it you who said you would no long acknowledge me and not "feed the troll"? How's that working for you?

Although our resident developer is part owner of the site, he is only that......... part owner. He does have a larger development firm to answer too. But you probably already knew that given your connections to the higher ups. Manny (or the resident developer as you call him) could never tackle a project of this size alone. The larger firm most likely is the major owner and like most larger firms they higher consultants to help guide them through the in's and out's of any given area (after all time is money). Our resident developer is part local consultant (to help weave their way around all the legal E's and to help with public perception). This is pretty standard for any large development corporation. I don't have any knowledge of the deal between the 2 developers but I can at least tell you that this is standard for a project of this type.

I can tell you one reason why they would probably not build a parking lot for the area and public use on their dime: Money. Pretty simple. Aside from the insurance costs there are many other costs involved with "just building a parking lot" such as excavation & grading fees, resurfacing costs, lighting costs and maintenance costs. There would also need to be a parking system in place such as the one we have in the borough which would be another tacked on cost and I'm sure there is more costs involved.

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Here is a link that may help our resident multiple personality more than a parking study (note I suggested a lot, not a garage)

http://www.fellowshiphr.org/

They have an office in Phoenixville (610) 933-3617 - 723 Wheatland Street. Please get the help you need.

Oh my oh my APR. You sure are in a tizzy.

Thanks for the link, Ed. I found the following on Page 12 to be interesting:

"Although the Central Business District is far from this “best case scenario” of utilization, the current state of revitalization warrants additional convenient public parking. Without providing additional parking, new businesses will be starved of the patrons necessary for success. Due to the current density of the Central Business District, a new at-grade parking lot will not be feasible to handle the future demands of this area. This study recommends one or more parking structures be developed to meet these needs.
Construction of these structures should likely be phased to accommodate parking needs as they become necessary. Possibly a structure meeting 50% of the future parking demands should be constructed, with plans for more parking provisions as demand begins to warrant it.

Due to the need for a central parking system in this District, a Parking Authority or
similar body should be formed to continually monitor the parking needs in this area."

In the page footer of the report you see "07/04", which seems to indicate that this report was written in July 2004. Later, on Page 22, the last line of the report states: "This Parking Study should be reviewed and updated every five to ten years, depending upon the rate of change or growth in a particular study area."

Yep John. And updating it requires actual leadership from our council, which has been severely lacking for quite a while. Parking is, always was, and will continue to be a mess until we get new leadership.

John, a parking structure (even one) would be ideal but not on the backs of the Phoenixville citizens. It will not happen that way. There isn't one person on council from the past, present and future who would ever suggest building a garage with taxes. Privately is a different story but there still needs to be a revenue stream to support a garage and those numbers (revenue) don't even approach what would be necessary for a garage. Again, it's ideal buy unfortunately it's not going to happen through the residents.

The only way a garage happens is if the steel site begins development. Most likely one of the first structures would be parking for any new residents or office space rentals. It's a much easier sell for a developer to get commercial tenants for office spaces if parking is already in place. But that doesn't really help the current parking situation as it stands.

I'm sorry to say but you gentlemen are probably right. From the sound of things it seems nothing will get done. And that's too bad, because the result will limit the growth of the core downtown area. It might even have the effect of holding down the property values of the surrounding community as well.

Good points John and that's why everyone has to support the development of the steel site. I know one of the arguments is that we already have housing that needs to be sold before development but that's the furthest thing from the truth. When the Iron Hill site was under development some in the surrounding community were strongly opposed to the idea for that very reason but there was a line outside of the empty lot the day they started bids for people who wanted new housing in the downtown that was affordable and had it's own parking. Now granted that was at the height of the bubble so there were plenty of loans to go around but it shows the demand is there. People want new housing and all the amenities that go along with new construction (ie plumbing, electrical, parking etc). People make the same argument for the commercial properties and it just shows how ignorant people are (and i mean that with all due respect) to the demands of new, larger corporations. You can't sell a business like Trader Joe's on moving to Pville in the old Print Shop location next to Diving Cat Studio in an old building. They'd laugh. A business on that level wants all the new amenities such as ample parking, new electrical and plumbing that can facilitate their many needs along with a proper loading dock, etc. So this is why the steel site needs to happen for Pville to continue on it's path to growth. I am hopeful that will one day happen but I'm not holding my breath that's for sure.

Oh my god jk how dare you infer that I need to exercise........ well, I have put on some lbs. but that's besides the point. Are you going to pay for my shoes to walk? Hmmm?

I feel your pain. I really do. But like I said, nothing will ever get done about it unless you walk down and address it in front of the whole borough council. It'll take 15-20 minutes of your time. They will not be accountable unless you call them out on it.

thats cool how you own the public street - i'm guessing you also mark off "your" spot when it snows?

I feel sorry for people in Summer's situation. I use to live in West Chester and know how it sucks to come home from a hard day and have to park two blocks from your house but it is what it is. You want to live walking distance to the best part of town, that is the price you pay. I'm sure businesses downtown have increased the the value of her home so she can sell, make a profit and move further south where parking isn't an issue. If she rents, she can not renew her lease and again move further south. We all have choices in the world and crying at a Council meeting (where you'll just get ignored or told what you want to hear at the time with no resulting action) should be last on the list.

Yeah, driving to Collegeville, Royerford, Oaks, etc...is really killing my car.

LOL! It's the principle for fool, not the money. When people get bogus tickets, they don't come back regardless of how much it is. Period.

There are exactly 247 metered parking spots in all 3 lots that the borough allows for employee parking permits, residential parking permits, and visitor metered parking. and an additional 37 spots for metered parking only. Do the math and then say that there is enough parking for everyone that works, lives and visits this town. And i'm sure if you owned or worked at a business where your patrons were ticketed for visiting and your bottom line was affected you wouldn't so rashly defend the parking office.

Alex, it's for that very reason that you should be in favor of a managed parking system. With all of this extra use since P'ville became popular their was more of a demand for "available" parking which meant that cars needed to be moving on a consistent type of flow pattern. Also the increased demand for lot maintenance, lighting, regrading, monitoring and general cleaning was being paid for by the citizens of P'ville (some that may never use the lots). It only makes sense that the people that use the lots pay for the lots just as each homeowner who as their own parking (ie garage) pays for their parking in the price of their home. Everyone pays to park. But no doubt that it just sucks since it was free for so long when P'ville wasn't a busy town. It's absolutely an extra burden if you live in close proximity to the downtown (which I do) but it's one that comes along with living in this type of situation.

My concern and argument doesn't stem from the fact that there needs to be a parking management system, it's simply the fact that the one the borough has in place is not working. Cars moving on a consistent flow pattern is one thing, but how many people work in the business center? If every business employee purchased a parking permit there would never be enough spaces in the specified 3 lots and since the borough doesn't allow for the permits to be used for on street parking where should the workers park? add in residents and visitors and you get exactly what is happening now too much demand not enough supply. And if they park on the street you can't honestly ask someone to leave work every two hours to move their car. I lived right on prospect street and had a parking pass for some time, i received a lot of tickets because if i came home at night (esp. on a fri or sat) there would be no spots left in the specified lots. I park on the street and get a ticket even though i had a permit. The system is failing, it's always been failing, the borough council doesn't know what they are doing and won't listen to the citizens. They listen to the ones that complain about visitors parking because that's all that supports their argument and all they want is more money. They make laws then revise and justify them as they go along instead of doing things properly from the start.

Make no mistake about it Alex, they are making money off the citizens that live around the area and the workers but your points are good ones.

They are also wasting a ton of money too. They still pay wages for the parking enforcement officers to go to court all 3 in fact instead of one on the street as other days, they pay legal representation fees when a borough solicitor gets involved, they pay Mr. Niese and other borough representatives to go to court. And more and more people are fighting tickets. And after all that is said and done what they do win is just the $20 they originally ticketed for as all court costs go directly back to the court system. So after they've spent thousands to pay people to go to court how much are they really getting back from it?

According to the last Borough report they were on track to make a profit for the year with parking. I don't have a copy of the report but I do remember seeing it. Sorry the bad reference.

I agree with you on a lot of your points but where I fall off is that it's corrupt and other stuff like that. There's just no evidence of that but I do believe there are faulty tickets written all the time. You have to expect that with any human element involved. I've gotten tickets myself a few times and it's never good for the blood pressure.

Also, I'm not saying we don't need to stay on top of this. We do as a matter of fact. And people need to voice their opinions so all concerns are heard and if enough voices have a consistent theme then hopefully a light goes off and something can be done to resolve the issue. But just to say we should go back to free parking without a managed situation is not reasonable (which is what a lot of people say). The parking was a nightmare before the parking meters were installed but I think it's less of nightmare then before regarding finding a parking space. It's definitely inconvenient but I do feel like there's always a space to park (short of Firebird and other super busy events) if you're willing to pay a few dollars. I think we should all remember we're on the same team even if we have different viewpoints.

my comment about corruption came from the original story, the borough had the district court send out over 1,400 tickets in one day in June, many of which dating back almost a year. The statute of limitations on prosecution is one month. They valued each citation at $66.45. that's a total just over $93,000. A safe estimate would be that 1,200 of those tickets were past the one month statute of limitation. which means they overcharged and collected approximately $75-80,000 in revenue that they had no legal right to. And did so with the threat of government and prosecution. Granted everyone could have looked up this information and fought it but they didn't so that money is lost. But that is the ONLY way the borough will turn a profit this past fiscal year. And if you can tell me that collecting money under false pretenses and without legal grounds doesn't qualify as corruption then there's a problem. And in my opinion if everyone knew this as well as my experiences with the parking office in court over several occasions and appeals and the patch were to do another story the parking situation in phoenixville could become the forefront of council meetings from here on out.

Alex, I think you're a little misguided on much of the information and the statute of limitations etc but I won't really argue about it. The start of the parking system was definitely not very well conceived and it set a bad precedent but the overall system will eventually work. People always feel like something has been taken away from them when parking is instituted like a constitutional right. It's really kind of funny but it's just parking and the it's the borough trying to do the best thing for their local community. If you don't like the way things are done then the best I can tell you is to be much more vocal in meetings and don't give up. Or even better is you can run for local government and do something about it that will make sense for the entire community and not just the people that live near the downtown in very close proximity. I think you understanding of local government is slightly skewed and this isn't Watergate. Again, the best thing to do is run for a local seat and enact your own vision and lead us in the right direction. Being on a local government doesn't make you a politician. It makes you involved in your community in a very big capacity that is very important. Be part of the change or you'll just have to accept the changes that people who take that initiative themselves make and some you won't like very much. But again these are just regular people trying to help their community. If you have evidence otherwise then present it.

I highly doubt the parking office would allow me to look at their records to verify my information. As much as you may think my views are skewed i've probably had more dealings with the parking office than anyone in phoenixville both with and without a lawyer. my numbers may not be grounded, however the fact they did send out citations that were past the statute of limitations cannot be argued it's a matter of court record. I had close to 40 tickets in my first go around with them and only until i went to court and presented that statute did they withdraw those citations. As much as it may seem like a big conspiracy theory it's really not and it's grounded in facts whether people can see or understand that or not. and as much as you can say i'm misguided for defending myself, you, yourself are a bit misguided for believing that even a local municipality like this one isn't big enough for some form of corruption or extortion. It's the basis sentimentality that when someone is appointed a position of power they can abuse it no matter how small a position it is. It may not seem so but they had sent out letters they described as a "grace period" to pay months before actually submitting to the court though they were already past the statute. If you do your research you'll learn what the state has to say and the state law trumps local code. And lets face it speaking up in council meetings doesn't do anything when you're speaking up against their form of making money.

As you said the overall parking system "will EVENTUALLY work". if the borough had done their homework it wouldn't need to eventually work. They waste the courts time with paperwork and citations without giving people an option to contest a ticket before it goes in front of a judge and additional costs are added wasting more taxpayer money to do so. There is no check, no balance to the system on this level. Speaking out at meetings doesn't do anything unless the people on the council at least listen, and they are not always so open minded to both sides of the coin.

Keep up the good fight Alex and Dante Bradley most of us whom actually know the law support you 100%!