As part of a “12 Days of of Christmas in Patchogue” campaign, parking meters will be turned off during the daytime from Dec. 13-24.
By Michael Sorrentino:
Patchogue Village shoppers will receive some relief from parking meters this holiday.
According to an announcement sent out Tuesday by the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, the village will suspend its parking meters before 6 p.m. during a “12 Days of Christmas in Patchogue” campaign from Dec. 13-24.
The move is a compromise that comes after weeks of discussion between Patchogue Village officials and the chamber regarding keeping parking completely free during the holiday season as the village did last year.
What’s more, David Kennedy, the chamber’s executive director, said in an announcement to chamber members that the chamber will be facilitating special promotional activities to highlight each of the 12 days.
“It is our goal … to create a special promotion for each day as an extra attraction,” said Kennedy.
In 2015, Patchogue Village suspended its parking meters from Black Friday all the way until January 3, but that decision cost the village thousands in potential funds which are going toward building new parking spots.
“By doing that we probably lost about $30,000,” Jack Krieger, the village’s deputy mayor and parking commissioner said about the relaxed parking restrictions, noting that he wasn’t sure if it truly helped out.
Part of Krieger’s role involves finding new property to acquire to help alleviate the village’s parking crunch, and the funds collected have already gone toward purchasing property on Church Street that has been used toward making unmetered parking spots.
The Chamber of Commerce, however, had been hoping the village would consider reviving the program in some way.
“Certainly the holiday season is the most important season for every business here in Patchogue, so maybe the sacrifice of losing some of the money for the parking funds is made up in just goodwill and the extra business you are trying to create,” Kennedy said in an interview.
Kennedy formally addressed the concern to the Patchogue Village Board in October, and since then members of the chamber have been meeting with village officials to find a middle ground.
The “12 days of Christmas” theme was one of the proposed ideas, Kennedy said.
Another idea, now and moving forward, Patchogue Village Mayor Paul Pontieri said, could be businesses offering their own discounts that could help offset the amount paid into a parking meter.
Most of the parking in Patchogue Village is free, but popular parking spots in Patchogue Village are subject to a variety of meter rules. Spots on Main Street are metered every day except for Sundays, and numbered parking spots in parking lots charge from 6 p.m.-2 a.m. on the same days.
Patchogue Village’s holiday season is also already in full swing: the annual Christmas Holiday Boat Parade just took place on Sunday (click here for photos), and this Saturday will see a Small Business Saturday event running from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Main Street leading right into the very popular annual Christmas parade kicking off at 6 p.m. that night.
Photo: The Colony Shop’s Christmas display on East Main Street. (Credit: Tiffany Rivera)
Parts 1 and 2 from our parking series:
https://patchogue.greaterlongisland.com/2016/11/17401-part-1-patchogue-village-is-facing-down-its-parking-crunch/
https://patchogue.greaterlongisland.com/2016/11/parking-part-2-fixes-patchogue-parking-crunch/
