The first thought that came to me when I read about the proposed increase in parking fees was, “What are you trying to do? Kill our beautiful new downtown?”
This plan is shortsighted and makes no sense.
A modest increase might be tolerated, but to increase the fees by over 100 percent is ridiculous.
We are not a “hot” destination and adequate downtown parking is already an issue. And the public garages have far too many “reserved spaces.”
Why not add metered spaces to adjacent streets farther from Main Street, such as School and Warren, with resident parking by permit only in those spots?
I hope that the city comes to its senses and finds a more creative solution to their budget shortfall.
ANNE MARIE SAMUELS
Concord