Summertime News from the Greater Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce

Council Corner:

Poulsbo is experiencing the same financial challenges that are affecting all governments in this difficult economy. Due to what had been high cash reserves and a low level of debt, to date we have made few cuts but we now have less reserves and more debt. This will be a painful budget season. I hope that our City will have the discipline to make tough choices and align our projected spending with projected revenues and that our citizens will understand our belt tightening.

While reducing expenditures, it will still be essential to maintain the foresight to avoid short term decisions with significant negative long term consequences. One that I am concerned about is our plan to sell our existing city hall and its parking, and that decision's impact on the future ability for a downtown parking garage.

Downtown Poulsbo has struggled with parking shortages as it has grown. Parking was added in the 50's, expanded in the 70's and again in the mid 80's. We once again have a parking shortage. For previous parking improvements, the City and nearby businesses contributed, but some businesses further away, as well as the Port of Poulsbo (with its' 390 boat slips) contributed little to nothing.

Poulsbo has many things going for us: a spectacular waterfront location, unique community character, many diverse businesses, a community that pulls together, and a historic downtown that our community treasures. But we are losing customers and choking the economic vitality of downtown by allowing employees and boaters out for the weekend, to fill the downtown parking and send customers elsewhere.

Parking garages are at best costly, with minimum costs beginning around $15,000 per stall, but easily tripling up to $45,000-50,000 per stall. An ideal parking garage is close, not highly visible to allow a simple utilitarian structure, is a large and an efficient rectangular shape that fits double parking bays, has minimal need for ramping, and is as cheap as possible. An inefficient site, will drive costs up. Choosing the right site can save millions in future construction costs. Everyone likes free unlimited parking, never getting ticketed, and we'd also like to find parking whenever we need it. Ideally someone else will pay to solve the problem That clearly hasn't worked.

Yes, additional parking at the new city hall will help with parking at night and on weekends. But when new businesses fill the current vacant building, where will those customers park? No, we may not be able to afford to build a garage today but nor can we afford to sell the best and most cost effective site for a future garage. Our existing city hall site (which includes a back corner piece with employee parking) is currently listed for sale. Not selling that portion of the property and combining it with the King Olav parking lot, would allow the future construction of a large simple, rectangular parking structure with efficient double loaded parking corridors, that is both hidden from view and is close to downtown. As an architect and a member of our current Parking Committee, I've reviewed all the other suggested locations for a future garage, and absolutely believe there is no other location that could provide as close and as cost effective parking solution.

No one wants $10 parking and massive parking fines but we need to consider incremental steps like paid parking after a few hours and parking enforcement. The Port's mission is economic development. They need to be part of the solution and help provide long term parking for their own customers. We need to take steps to provide long term parking and enforce that nearby parking is available to customers. And no, our City government cannot afford to take on additional costs for a downtown parking garage. There are no free solutions. Our businesses, property owners, the Port, City and community, need to work together to plan for a long term parking structure downtown and the immediate need to buy the back portion of the city hall site for parking. If we let this opportunity go by and sell that critical back corner of the city hall site, our lack of action is likely to increase the costs of a future parking garage by many, many times.

We cannot afford to make this mistake and end up with parking solutions that are both further away and costs far more. We cannot afford to sell off the economic future of Poulsbo's downtown by selling the essential cornerstone for the most feasible and cost effective future downtown parking garage.

Sincerely,

Linda Berry-Maraist, Poulsbo City Council