Paid parking is back in town

On Tuesday La Conner’s Public Works crew was putting the finishing touches on the new pay station at the town’s public parking lot below Town Hall.

The town has replaced the old, obsolete yellow clunker that had been sucking in currency and spitting out dollar coins and parking permits since 2003. A vandal beat the old one to death in November during an apparent attempt to break in and steal cash from its innards.

The new model, which Public Works Director Brian Lease said will be operational when its payment programming is finished, will never have money inside.

It runs on credit and debit cards, just like the machines inOlympia,Seattleand other places tourists are accustomed to paying to park.

Before the old one was demolished, it had generated nearly $19,000 in $3 per day parking fees last year.

The cost for the new one, including installation, was around $13,000.

And as an extra savings, with no cash inside it, there is no need for Public Works employees to service it every day and count the till. The machine automatically tallies up the days receipts and the town’s bank account is credited automatically.

Often when people rent Maple Hall for weddings and other events parking is included. With the new machine, Lease can program in a code from his desk to enable the party-goers to use to obtain their free event parking passes at the machine.

Parking lot fees help pay for the town’s parking lot, which was built as an amenity for visitors.