Those heading downtown this week to drown their sorrows over the end of summer have a least one thing to celebrate--they don't need to worry about scrounging quarters for parking.
The City has put those pesky, gray coin gobblers that contribute to the City's General Fund, paying for things like schools, public services and infrastructure, out of commission until Monday the 17th.
This traditional week of meter suspension usually starts the same day as semester graduation and continues until the day before classes start for the following semester. However, because this summer semester's ceremony was scheduled only one day after the beginning of the tax-free weekend, the City Council adopted a resolution to extend it one day and start Friday the 7th, said Meg Rainey, public information officer for the City of Auburn.
The meters normally operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Rainey said the City thinks suspending the meters is a way to give people a break and let them enjoy free parking while they're downtown. The meters are also suspended Jan. 1 and July 4 and during Spring and Thanksgiving Breaks.
Local business owners said they noticed a boost in business they attribute to the meter-free week.
Mark McClurg, co-owner of Little Italy, said he noticed business has been better this week. He said the availability of free parking entices people to visit his restaurant who wouldn't normally hazard downtown parking.
McClurg said, however, he wishes the City had more widely publicized the free parking because he doesn't think too many people knew about it. He believes more people would have gone downtown if they had known about the meter suspension.
But it wasn't just the free parking that contributed to better sales for Behind the Glass, said General Manager Chloe Popwell. She believes the free parking helped, but she thinks the arrival of students for the Fall semester and the tax-free weekend that applied to clothing also had a lot to do with it.
Popwell said she doesn't think the meters have much negative influence on her business since shoppers have an hour after they turn the knob.
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