Paid parking in Harrison Hot Springs could cost fifty cents for 15 minutes, a loonie for a half hour or $8 for a full six hour stay, according to a presentation made to council by Justin Powell of Precise Parking.
He spoke as a delegation on Monday night, only to be heard as information. Council has not yet voted on whether to bring pay parking to the Village.
Precise Parking, a division of GoPark, is the same company which held an open house in December. They operate 713 machines for 44 clients in B.C. and three in Alberta. They are proposing installing 43 machines throughout the main area of the Village.
Each machine will cost the Village $150 a month, for five months of the year. Operation of each machine will cost $75 per month.
The time frame being considered for pay parking enforcement is May through September.
Powell said that the number of units and the length of time the units are in place can be adjusted.
"We can change our programs," he said, in an a la carte service.
What he couldn't tell council was how many cars needed to pay for parking before the Village would see any revenue.
Councillor Sonja Reyerse asked for a best and worst case scenario.
"We don't know," he responded. "I couldn't tell you that."
In addition to money collected for parking, there is always the other side of the coin — money generated from those who choose not to pay.
That 'enforcement revenue' would be split 25/75, with the higher amount going toward the Village. Pay parking would be in effect from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with enforcement only for a portion of the day. The enforcement officer would be employed by the company, not the Village, at a rate of $15. The cost of the vehicle and employee pay is covered by the company.
Households in Harrison Hot Springs would receive a parking pass, as well as an extra for guests. It was not mentioned whether Rockwell Drive residents would receive a pass, as they are within the District of Kent.
They also hope to install a meter for the boat launch and boat launch parking area, that would be unmanned. The company operates a coin operated boat launch in Sidney.
Powell said that pay parking "promotes turnover" and that the different pay options allows visitors to buy in increments needed.
The units are solar powered, and installed and removed by the company at their own cost. He estimates it will take about a day and a half to install the 43 machines, if council were to approve pay parking.
"It's a turnkey operation," Powell said.
Council has not yet made a decision on the subject.
"There is still a lot of time to discuss this," Mayor Leo Facio said.
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