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Cold Spring has a Convenience Problem, Not a Parking Problem
Dear Editor:
I speak to Mr. del Pozo, a Nelsonville resident, who is misinformed about paid parking, tourism, and the attitude of most visitors to Cold Spring.
1) We, in the village of Cold Spring, do not have a parking problem, we have a convenience problem. Most people need to park directly at the front door of the business in which they will shop. Parking down the street or around the corner where parking is very available is not convenient. And that includes the merchants who park right in front of their stores, eliminating that spot for potential customers.
2) At any one time a number of commuters park on Main Street or Railroad Ave and then take the train. Some commuters park at the Fair Street municipal parking lot and some have been known to park on Garden, Church, and even High Streets. Most of these people live outside of the Village and are either too cheap to pay for parking at the train station or they delight in getting away with the charade.
3) Visitors who come to Cold Spring must somehow pay for their visit. Sales taxes, given to the county are collected when the visitors purchase things. Unlike most other counties in the state, County Executive Bondi does not share those taxes with the village. The costs of garbage disposal, street cleaning and painting, traffic and police enforcement, sewers and water facilities, and signage must be made up in the village budget.
Our real estate taxes were recently raised by 13% and a portion of these expenses could be attributed to tourism. Getting rid of the tourists is not an option. However, making money from these visitors is an option.
Charging for the privilege of parking is one of many proposals which the village is wisely looking into. Raising taxes is a less favorable alternative.
6) Parking in Cold Spring is not a simple issue and charging for parking on Main Street is only one of many considerations that must be addressed. Resident parking permits, winter parking, additional parking facilities, creating a parking committee; these are all issues which must be considered in order to create a comprehensive parking plan.
Trustee Robertson, the newest member of the board, is to be commended for recognizing parking as a way to raise revenue for the village and for appointing Michael Armstrong to study parking as part of the Comprehensive Plan. I have been in business on lower Main Street for 24 years and to my knowledge this is the first time we have actually formed a committee to look into parking and Mr. Armstrong needs all the encouragement we can muster.
Arbitrary statements like those made by Nelsonville resident Mr. del Pozo are counterintuitive.
Tom Rolston
Depot Restaurant
Cold Spring
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