CANTON — Employees who work downtown would be required to park in a designated parking area under a proposal being considered by the village Board of Trustees’ street committee.

J. Bradshaw Mintener, 77 Main St., is advocating the measure. He and his wife, Marilyn I., reside in the second floor of that building and operate their businesses, including the Pear Tree gift shop, on the floor below.

Mr. Mintener argues that issuing weekday parking permits to downtown employers and employees would create more free parking spaces for customers and clients.

Mr. Mintener told the village board earlier this week that the free parking spaces in the upper municipal lot behind the Pear Tree are nearly always full of cars driven by those who work downtown.

“Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., there is no parking to speak of for clients and customers,” Mr. Mintener told trustees. “Those not on salary and who depend on who comes in the door would appreciate some sort of action.”

He distributed photographs taken at 8:55 a.m. Monday that he claimed showed all 28 free parking spaces in the upper lot were filled with the cars of business employers and their employees. Several of the metered spaces were available.

In contrast, Main Street’s lower municipal lot between Hodskin Street and Riverside Drive had 71 free spaces available at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. Mintener suggested that the lower parking lot be designated for downtown employees. He passed out a sample parking permit pass that could be issued by the village to downtown workers.

Mr. Mintener said he’s spoken to other Main Street business owners who are in favor of the measure.

Sylvia M. Kingston, a village trustee and Main Street business owner, said she supports the idea of a designated employee parking lot.

“I would like to see us permit the lower parking lot to employees,” Ms. Kingston said.

Mr. Mintener said demand for municipal parking spaces will increase next year when United Helpers Inc. staffs the former Community Bank building on Main Street.

Also, additional NYSARC employees are expected to work downtown next spring when the agency moves more of its staff to its Main Street building.

Village Mayor David L. Curry agreed to refer Mr. Mintener’s request to the trustees’ street committee for review. Trustees Joseph J. Frank and Mary Ann Ashley serve on the committee.

Ms. Ashley said she would like to get input from interim Police Chief Victor N. Rycroft and village Superintendent Brien E. Hallahan.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer