FAYETTEVILLE — Paid parking in the Dickson Street entertainment district could have some unplanned side effects -- like healthier and more toned restaurant service staff.
Some say they plan to park in free areas and hike it. Josh Blackwell, a bartender at Theo's, is considering joining nearby Clubhaus Fitness up the street -- in part for the parking privileges -- but the membership will also give him a place to work out.
THE RATES
Dickson Street
Entertainment District
Free, 2 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 50 cents per hour, $3 maximum
Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.: $1 per hour, $5 maximum
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: 50 cents per hour, $3 maximum
Saturday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.: $1 per hour, $5 maximum
Sunday, 2 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Free
Sunday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.: 50 cents per hour, $3 maximum
Sunday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday: $1 per hour, $5 maximum
Source: Staff Report
Blackwell works about 50 hours a week at Theo's. He estimates paying full price for parking in the area could mount to nearly $200 a month.
"When you add all that together, its cheaper to get a gym membership," said Blackwell, 26, as he mixed and shook dozens of the restaurant's $5 Thursday happy hour martinis.
Blackwell, like others in the district, said he will also sign up for the city's employee discount parking program, which would entitle him to a 90 percent discount on parking in certain areas. Discount parking is not available on Dickson and Watson streets or the three Walton Arts Center lots and the lot behind Common Grounds restaurant.
"I'm going to go with the 90 percent discount parking," said Dawn Crawford, a waitress at Common Grounds. "I don't like paying for parking at all."
Paying full price -- a maximum of $5 per night -- is not a cost Crawford wants to take on.
"That could work out to be about $140 a month," said Crawford, 27. "And that's a whole other monthly bill."
As of Friday, only 24 employees from the entire district have turned in the required paperwork to participate in the program, said Sharon Waters, city parking and telecommunications manager.
Ryan Epp, who operates the Pink Papaya salon at the end of Spring Street, said he turned in the roster of his 26 employees and wants to participate in the program.
"It's going to be the best thing right now for my employees," Epp said Friday. It's now up the individual employees to turn in a copy of their pay stubs every month so that the city's parking office can issue the employees a preset number of discount codes to be used at the pay stations located on street corners.
"Now it's kind of on the employees' shoulders," Epp noted.
He anticipates the small number of participants may be related to little knowledge of the program.
"I think it's that very few employers know about it. We had a meeting in our building the other day and not many people knew about the program," Epp said.
The paid parking program went live Aug. 16 for the gated lots. On Wednesday the pay stations were activated on the streets and those parking were expected to pay. However, since the entire program is still in its introductory phase, parking officials were lenient when it came to writing tickets, Waters said. That will change today when enforcement is expected to begin in earnest. Parking officials will issue warnings this week to overtime parkers. Offenders who have issued a warning will receive a citation in the event of another offense.
WEB WATCH
For an interactive map of parking lots in the Dickson Street and downtown areas, go to http://www.nwaonline.com/faypark/