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Meaford is keeping paid parking at Memorial Park after all.
Council defeated a motion on Monday to remove paid parking from the park. The decision was a shift from a resolution reached in March, when council passed a motion to do away with paid parking at Memorial Park.
Staff were presenting a report and formal options for Meaford council Monday to remove paid parking — when council decided to keep it in place.
Paid Parking was implemented in 2021 after an increase in park usage as a result of the pandemic and as a way to help offset the increasing service costs and traffic congestion at the park.
Coun. Harley Greenfield says he was not in favour of removing paid parking from Memorial Park.
“This is, I think, a way of keeping some data on the good folks who come to Memorial Park and also getting a little bit of revenue out of it,” says Greenfield. “I don’t think our local residents should have to be paying for primarily garbage and carelessness that some of our visitors to the area unfortunately bring into the park. I do not believe our local residents do that, I don’t think they abuse the park, I think they respect it.”
Deputy Mayor Shirley Keaveney adds she also wants paid parking to continue at Memorial Park.
“This gives our own residents a little privilege and gives the municipality a small amount of funding to assist with by-law and maintenance of the park,” says Keaveney.
Meaford was able to rake in about $14,000 from the 2024 paid parking season, part of which was paid to the paid parking management company, and the rest is split between the Memorial Park reserve, and enforcement expenses.
