Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009, THE ISLANDER
Parking fee
Continued from Page 1
Pay and Display vending machines;
other parking improvements.
Eight Pay and Display machines
in the pier area will vend a receipt for
people to place in the windshield of
their vehicles so county employees will
know they have paid the parking fee.
No one should have to walk more than
half a block to find a machine.
• What the county spends
Currently the county spends about
$470,000 a year on St. Simons beaches
for lifeguards, Mobi-mats, police beach
patrol, bathroom cleaning and beach
maintenance.
Rowell said the Mobi-mats, which
provide easy access for wheelchairs to
get through the soft sand to hard packed
beach, have proved to be popular with
mothers with strollers and others who
have trouble in the soft sand.
At $6,000 apiece, the Mobi-mats
have to be replaced every two years and
sometimes sooner if they are damaged
by northeaster storms.
• The proposed fee plan
The parking fee would apply to the
pier village parking spaces, the Coast
Guard Station, Massengale and the
Myrtle St. parking area south of the
King and Prince.
The pier village area would include
from the Mallery St. alley east to about
12th St. From the pier parking lot to
Ocean Blvd., with a short piece up Mal
lery to just past Magnolia Ave.
The fee in all locations would be $1
per horn - from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Glynn County property owners and
residents with a long term lease may
buy an annual pass for $50. The park
ing passes and tickets from the vending
machines do not guarantee parking as
parking is on a first come, first served
basis. Passes will be sold on the island
and on the mainland.
No buses, RMs or campers will be
allowed to park in these areas. All other
motorized vehicles will pay the fee.
Enforcement will be handled by part
time staff. Fine for vehicles not display
ing a receipt is $25. Free parking will
be available at Mallery Park for people
who want to park and walk a short
distance.
The effective date if approved by the
commission is January 2010.
The Opposition
Held in the Casino meeting room the
town hall meeting brought in an SRO
crowd, all of whom were opposed to the
pier village parking fee.
Stan Humphries had no problem
with a parking fee at the beach, but was
strongly opposed to both the pier fee
and borrowing money to do the capital
improvements.
“Parking fees will not be enough
to amortize $5 million in bonds,” said
Humphries, “The fee will kill the vil
lage area and is discriminatory against
village merchants. The new swimming
pool, that you did not provide adequate
parking for, has had a big impact on
parking.”
“I’m also upset,” continued
Humphries, “that a county commis
sioner said she needs the island park
ing fee to pay for things in her district.
Don’t use an island fee to do that.”
This was a recurring theme from the
opposition during the meeting. Resi
dents said that since St. Simons is
already supplying almost 70% of the
county’s property tax base the county
should not impose a parking fee on the
island to raise more revenue for the
General Fund.
Referencing the amount of property
tax paid by St. Simons and Sea Island
residents, Joyce Matthews said, 'You
are using us as a cash cow and it's time
to quit."
Pointing that he never has a problme
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finding a parking spot, Arthur Pierson
said the only necessary item on the
county's proposed fist of capital projects
was drainage improvements.
Peirson said, "If your revenue is
decreasing, maybe you shouldn't spend
so much."
Again, Pierson's comments were
echoed over and over during the meet
ing, particularly about the the lack of a
real parking problem. Numerous people
told Sublett that, sure, you might not
be able to find a parking spot directly
in front of the store or restaurant you
want to patronize, but one was always
within reasonable walking distance.
Sixty year resident Charles Hill said,
"I have never failed to find a parking
space within a reasonable distance."
Caroline McMillan, a long time
island resident said she shops at the
pier and could always "come and go"
without a problem.
McMillian also agreed that a park
ing fee would hurt village merchants.
"The village has always been oriented
towards tourists," she said, "Well, if you
want to get rid of them, this is a good
way, because with the fees they won't
be back."
Many other people said that instead
of shopping or eating at the pier, where
they would have to pay, they would to
go one of the island's many other shop
ping areas where there is no fee.
Meredith Trawick said, "I eat at the
pier regularly, but I won't if I have to
pay a dollar an horn - to do it."
The owner of the Palm Coast Coffee
shop said, "People park in front of my
shop, run in, grab a cup of coffee and
run out. If they have to pay a dollar just
to park so they can buy a two dollar cup
of coffee, they will go somewhere else on
the island."
After almost an hour and a half,
Sublett said the full commission would
discuss the parking fee and at least one
more town hall meeting would be held
before any decision was made. □
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Seller
Buyer
Location/Legal
Tax
Description/Address
Sea Island
S 350.00
Doyal, Bru Bowman
Doyal, Lance; Doyal, Roy
Lot 10, Blk 31, Sea Island No
Lance III
1
S 2,705.50
Beach Club Garden
Schmitt, Edward H Jr &
Unit GS11, Beach Club
North Residences LLC;
Sea Island Co; ETAL
Mary E
Residences
S 3,393.20
Beach Club Garden
GA Vacations LLC
Unit GS16, Beach Club
North Residences LLC;
Residences, **100 Beach
Sea Island Co; ETAL
St Simons
Club Ln Ste 451
S 210.00
Wynn, R Ann
Hodges, Sydney M; Kuja,
Lots 18-19 & Ptn of 17, Blk
Marcus
14, Glynn Haven Estates Unit
1, **205 Palmetto St
S 230.00
Oldfield, Harden A III
Smith, Pamela & Willie E Jr
Unit 106, Harbour Oaks
& Wanda G
Condos, **106 Harbour
Oaks Dr
S 250.00
Coastal Bank of
Rifenburg, James A
Lot 30, Highland Acres,
Georgia
**102 Simmons Ave
S 500.00
Oglethorpe Bank
McCranie, Linda Irene
Lot 950, Ph 2, Hampton
Plantation, **950 Champney
S 550.00
Livingston, Kevin S;
Prudential Relocation Inc
Lot 14, Blk 15, Island
Sergey, Tanya R
Retreat, **622 Delegal St
8 Warranty Deeds for Sea Island & St. Simons for week ending 9/4/2009