Jackson leaders tour city's uptown area

When it comes to fixing Jackson's uptown parking problem, it appears there is no perfect solution.

City government and business leaders recently took a tour of uptown Jackson, talking to owners about the problems in the area.

The city has been enforcing the two-hour parking limits uptown for the last few months, which has thrilled some and frustrated others.

Mayor Paul Sander said the city, based on business owners' suggestions, will at least look into buying an empty lot at the corner of Main and Missouri streets to use for parking.

In recent months, the board of aldermen entertained an idea to make part of Court Street one way with angle parking on one side. But once the details were laid out -- like having to move utility poles and some business awnings -- the board rejected the proposal.

Some uptown business people say without some improvement in parking, the business district will die.

"The parking stinks around here," said Terry Teague, an account executive with a real estate business in the uptown Strickland building. "A lot of people who work here want to leave. If people weren't in leases in this building, they'd probably be leaving. It's a nice building, and the owner is a nice guy. But once they started handing out tickets, there's nothing left."

Some think the enforcement of the parking ordinance has helped tremendously.

"That's the key to everything," said jewelry store owner Wayne Lindsey late Tuesday morning. "You look out here now, and there are five parking spots. If you came three or four months ago, you wouldn't have seen one."

Lindsey said in years past, employees of other businesses would park in the street, which hurt his business.

Still others are more on the fence about enforcing the two-hour limit. Tracy Bonner, who owns a coffee shop on Main Street, said she holds club meetings where women may play bridge for more than two hours. She said the ones who get tickets may not come back.

Likewise, Teague said sometimes his customers may stay more than two hours.

Each ticket comes with a $50 fine. Since February, the department has issued 78 citations and 53 warnings. The idea is to prevent employees from taking away spots from customers.

Police chief James Humphreys said many warnings were given early on. He said "about 75 percent" of the uptown merchants are happy with the enforcement.

Humphreys said there is no way to differentiate between employees or customers.

"You just can't do selective policing," Humphreys said. "Two hours means for everybody."

The city has worked with nearby churches to make extra parking available for customers and employees of uptown businesses, but those lots are more than a block away from some businesses.

"If everybody who had a business would walk a half block, we wouldn't have the parking problems that we have," Lindsey said.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635