Mayor: I Want Your Input

Watertown Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham has a message for downtown business owners: If you have concerns about parking on Public Square, he wants to hear from you firsthand.
The mayor's request comes after comments made at City Council meetings by residents who said the north side of Public Square lacks enough parking for businesses, and the parking that does exist isn't properly labeled.
The consternation comes at a time when city officials are promoting downtown despite the lack of parking to accommodate patrons.
"If any of the owners of businesses do feel strongly about the issue - and I hate to see all the empty space there whether it's on the synthetic asphalt or not - I do strongly encourage them to come in," Mr. Graham said at Monday's City Council meeting. "It will lend firsthand testimony to the issue."
Crews put the finishing touches on the multimillion-dollar reconstruction of Public Square last year. About 13 parking spaces were removed from the north side of the square to make room for the widened synthetic asphalt crosswalks.
Charles G. Wert, owner of Wing Wagon, 71 Public Square, attended a council meeting in late January. He asked that the council review parking along the north side of the square because too many parking tickets are being issued by police.
"It's about being fair," he said Friday. "They don't have it signed properly. People are scared; they don't know where they can park. They come down and park and they leave these businesses and there is a ticket waiting for them."
City police have written 108 parking tickets in Public Square from Jan. 1 to Thursday, Capt. Gary R. Comins said Friday.
Michael V. Martini, whose parents own Avon Shoes & Orthopedic Center, 67 Public Square, said that uncertainty exists among the store's patrons about parking.
"The square looks nice, the brick is sharp, but not everyone's accustomed with the parking," he said. "I've had several people tell me that they're just not going to come back."
Both Mr. Martini and Mr. Wert requested that more spaces be added on either side of the synthetic asphalt crosswalk. Cars are not allowed to park on a roughly 20-foot buffer on either side of the crosswalk. The city should, at a minimum, install additional signs delineating where motorists can park, the business owners said.
City officials have said that any changes made to parking will have to be approved by the state Department of Transportation because the streetscape project was funded using state and federal grants.
The city plans to solve the parking problem by rebuilding the J.B. Wise parking lot, between Public Square and Black River Parkway. To finance a portion of that project, the city will solicit funds from the federal stimulus package, City Manager Mary M. Corriveau has said.
Without a financial boost, the project likely will be delayed.
The Engineering Department is compiling a report for the council outlining options for parking on the north side of Public Square, Mrs. Corriveau said.
City Engineer Kurt W. Hauk was on vacation and could not be reached for comment Friday.