BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — Two part-time parking enforcement officers will be hired in the next month or so to provide uniform coverage in the downtown area in the hope they will help with parking turnover for the businesses on Main Street.
“That is the goal,” said Metuchen Mayor Peter Cammarano of the decision to hire the two part-time parking enforcement officers. “This will help make [the area] more pedestrian friendly and provide a safer flow throughout Main Street.”
The two part-time employees are not police officers, but will work under the jurisdiction of the Metuchen Police Department.
“These will be hourly employees responsible for meters as well as illegal parking in the Main Street area with staggered schedules,” he said.
The mayor said right now they have many police officers who are providing parking enforcement in the area.
“It is not the best use of our resources when we have other needs throughout town,” he said. “It is something we are moving forward with and working in conjunction with the Parking Authority as the new parking meters come in.”
Cammarano said the Parking Authority, which manages the meters, is moving into the 21st century where visitors will be able to pay for their parking through apps on their phone.
“They are in the selection process [of the various options for parking meters] and will go out to bid,” he said. “In this day and age, there are not many places where people need to find quarters. There are apps for phones and people can pay by credit card, which will help the managerial aspect [of the parking meters].”
The mayor and Borough Council discussed the move to hire the two part-time parking enforcement officers at a Borough Council meeting on March 20.
Cammarano and Councilman Jay Muldoon said it’s not about cracking down on enforcement and gaining revenue from tickets, it’s about educating the public on where to park.
“There will be a lot of warnings being given out at first,” said Cammarano. “Technology will help the enforcement … it’s all about having parking turnover on Main Street and for the [issue of a] person who can’t find parking who may decide to go elsewhere.”
Muldoon said it will improve the parking situation on Main Street noting that the enforcement right now on parking is not consistent.
“We have people parking in spots for extended periods of time sometimes all day, the more that happens fewer spots are available for people who do come downtown,” he said.
The mayor, like Muldoon, said the decision to hire two part-time parking enforcement officers came as a result of looking at a parking management study that was done downtown, which recommended hiring the positions.
“Salary [for the position] is in the process of discussion,” he said.
Councilwoman Dorothy Rasmussen said it’s important to improve signage and lines of where to park in the downtown area.
Officials said they will talk with the Metuchen Department of Public Works, Parking Authority and the county, which has a machine line painter that has more durable visible paint.