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 ca...