Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Brian O’Leary is planning to bring forward a proposal to examine a potential paid parking system for non-residents at several parks and facilities.
O’Leary says the idea is to look at implementing parking fees at Harrison Park, Kelso Beach Park, the Bayshore Community Centre and the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre that Owen Sound residents would be exempt from.
He says parking revenues from the system would be intended to help ease the burden on city taxpayers for upkeep and capital improvements at the two parks and the two facilities.
“We’ve got people living all the way around our city in Chatsworth, Meaford and Georgian Bluffs … who end up using all of our facilities and parks for free and the Owen Sound taxpayers get stuck with the bill,” O’Leary says. “The idea is to start charging for parking at those four (parks and facilities) to people that are not Owen Sound residents.”
“If you’re a taxpayer in Owen Sound you would not pay to park,” O’Leary continues. “Because you own the parks.”
O’Leary briefly discussed his idea at a community services committee meeting in June when talking about upcoming negotiations between the city and the YMCA for a new multi-year operating agreement. The city’s 10-year agreement with the YMCA was entered into in 2012.
A recommendation passed by Owen Sound council at its June 28 meeting to start negotiations with the YMCA also included direction for staff to investigate options to incorporate the opportunity for the city to implement a paid parking system in the future as part of the updated agreement.
O’Leary says this potential term in an updated agreement with the YMCA is to allow for flexibility if city council does end up pursuing a paid parking system at some parks and facilities for non-residents at some point moving forward.
He says the concept will be presented to council or to the community services committee, likely within the next month.
“I certainly want to start the process,” O’Leary says.
