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JAMESTOWN, NY (WNY News Now) – Even through the City of Jamestown has ordered replacement batteries for the newly implemented parking meters, local leaders are seeking a different solution for parking downtown.
Last week, Jamestown’s parking meter failures were highlighted by City Councilman Jeff Russell, who outlined concerns from residents and local businesses alike.
In an update to councilmembers on Monday, Mayor Eddie Sundquist announced that his office was finally able to contact the meter company, POM Parking Meters, to order 49 replacement batteries. A pervious miscommunication between sales reps and customer service prompted the delay.
These parking meters were installed at the end of 2021 and in addition to a coin operated option, accepted credit cards and online payments.
Some parking stations were without a working meter head for months due to a battery failure. A lack of sunlight in the winter months caused the solar panels to not properly charge the devices.
“Not only are we having to purchase batteries, which are as mentioned last time only sold by this company, we also have a monthly fee for each of these meters which we are continually charged even if there is no battery in it,” explained Sundquist.
Going forward, the Mayor is talking with other meter companies to see if a more cost effective option is available. Sundquist suggested looking at considering implementing parking stands versus individual meters.
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