Parking Fees are Just a Swell Idea.

Goings On LWV issue 21 October 2009

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A letter to the editor in the Globe asks for residents to show up at the GRF Community Activities Committee and ask that Non-residents be charged a parking fee when they come to Emeritus classes. In his standard wisdom, Bob Hatch made his usual and ordinary comment at the end of allowing such a foolish plan. He said, “If we fear that we’re in danger of having a class cancelled because non-residents are not coming we can rescind the fee.” Then GRF imposed a $20 per semester fee for parking plus a $10 for summer session parking fee. The final decision will be made in November at the GRF meeting.

I suggest you show up in masses to protest this action. At least write the GRF board and copy your housing board to make sure that the letter is actually seen and not just discarded somewhere along the line. Apparently people in the community center have trouble actually receiving mail addressed to them.

Dick Blatman, author of the letter to the editor and Chairman of the Continuing Education Advisory Board, indicated that the $60,000 or so per year gathered for the parking fees would go into the LWV General Fund. Nowhere did he discuss the cost of PCM accounting for or collecting these fees. My suspicion is that the collected funds will be eaten up by such administrative tasks. PCM is a hungry little bugger and Hatch and Freshley are always looking for ways to make money!

But wait! This might be a GREAT idea! Just think….we’re a 501(c)4 corporation. That means we have to allow community access to our facilities. We could also charge a parking fee for all the people who come in to see any of the shows at Clubhouse 3.
We could charge a parking fee for all the people who come in our lovely gates to attend anniversary, birthday, etc parties….and FUNERALS…don’t forget them. The ever popular Aquadettes! That would be a really big money maker.

We can charge all the people who come in to play bridge….although GRF already skins them for extra bucks for the use of the hall. They might put up some kind of a fuss. We can get all those golfers who come in and play a round or drive a bucket of balls at the driving range. How about Tennis?

Another…all those care takers who take up all the residential parking places. Charge ‘em! Want to come to any holiday dinner with grandma and grandpa? It’ll be $10 for parking.

Come to the sale in Clubhouse 4 either in the art studio or the other studios but bring your wallet so you can pay the parking fee. Oh, let’s add a shuttle fee for the shuttle bus on those busy days. A gold mine.

How about all those folks who come in to estate sales? Or to look at real estate?
Let’s charge for the people who have 2 cars and use all the visitor parking because their car port or garage is too full to park a car in or the driveway is just a little too short to park another car on the drive. We can put meters in visitor parking. Wow, maybe we have to buy a couple Denver Boots to help with parking enforcement. How about a tow truck of our very own?

We could charge employees. They use an entire parking lot specially held for them at the Community Center. There’s all that parking up at the maintenance area, too. That needs to be maintained. How about UPS and FedEx and all the paper delivery people…wear and tear on the streets and Parking! How about all those maids who come in to clean? Or all the outside services people hire. Yolanda and her servers would love that. Screw parking fees….it should be an ENTRY fee. Come see the old people. They walk, they talk, they sleep and eat. What will we charge for golf carts or bikes or scooters? This MORE than makes up for all the illegal residents who pay no fees at all but are using all our amenities.

We should charge extra for heavy vehicles such as movers or U-haul trucks or service vehicles because they do damage to our streets.

We should probably lay on about 10 new employees to issue passes, check proper usage, enforcement. Let’s see, that’s 10 full time employees and their benefits. Could be a little expensive but what the heck GRF is scooping it in by the shovel full.

While we’re at it we should be sure to pass the information along on what a successful program this has been for LWV because all the other venues where Emeritus Programs take place will probably want to get in on the action as well. That would be any other school, library or community center where classes and programs are held. It could spread to all the shopping malls and other commercial establishments. Eat at Joe’s, parking only $20.

How about we welcome the people who come in our gates and rather than bleeding them dry then encourage them to move in so GRF and PCM can empty their pockets when they are captive.