De Giorgio: On Parking Issues, Pay Stations in Port Washington

North Hempstead Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio, R-Port Washington, received a letter from the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 9 regarding in Port Washington. The following is her response.

My goal is to have local businesses in Port Washington thrive. In response to a request by the BID and the community, meter hours were increased from one to two hours on Main Street, from Haven Avenue to Shore Road. At the same time, meter hours of operation were reduced by one hour overall to allow free parking after 5 p.m. Since taking office, I have been seeking ways to improve the appearance and traffic flow in our customer and commuter parking lots. There are positive changes planned in the upcoming months.

As soon as I became aware of the issue with the pay stations, I investigated relocating the existing pay stations and determined that relocation was not feasible. I agree that some additional pay stations are required. I submitted a resolution requesting that the Town Board approve funding for two additional pay stations; one in the lot behind Frank’s Pizza and one in the lot behind Dolphin Book Store. The resolution will be brought before the Town Board on September 12th. If approved, the installation should be completed in about four weeks. 

At the request of the Chamber, I will seek a resolution increasing the meter hours of operation from 2 to 3 hours in the lot behind Carlos’ Pizza. Additional signage has been installed in the lot behind Frank’s Pizza to increase the visibility of the existing pay station until an additional one is installed. At the same time, signage indicating the presence of a municipal parking lot was installed at the Jackson Street lot in response to several merchant requests.  

I am currently working on developing a merchant parking plan which I expect to present to the Chamber of Commerce and the BID in October. The goal of the plan is to offer merchants the ability to park in designated spaces in the lots adjacent to Main Street; maximizing the availability of “premium” parking on Main Street. The plan will have no negative impact on commuter parking.   

Helping local business succeed is my priority. I will continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Port Washington BID and local merchants to achieve that goal.