In hopes of fixing Midland’s parking problems, council asked staff to find a consultant for $50,000 or less; an amount some felt was too costly.
Following the King Street reconstruction project of 2020, Midland had installed parking kiosks throughout the downtown core which residents and visitors found unwieldy and confusing to operate. The current term of council decided to remove the 70 kiosks and offer free parking in downtown for 2024, at a loss to revenue.
An ad hoc parking committee update recommendation that an external consultant could review the parking program and return with a study was presented to council, with an additional recommendation that the committee be dissolved as the study would be presented directly to council with no need for further committee input.
Coun. Bill Meredis spoke to the report, noting that it was his inability to locate the figures claimed by the town that parking meters would bring in.
“The committee asked for a report on the old parking meters that we had,” said Meridis, “but we found out there wasn’t really an in-depth study on parking in Midland. There was a small tidbit of information on the downtown Big Dig that touched on a little bit of parking, but it never really gave us the information and the committee was trying to figure out where the large number, the potential, that the parking meters were going to generate.
“That was nowhere to be seen on paper. I think those were just hypotheticals,” Meridis said.
At several points in the conversation, Meridis, Coun. Jaz Patel and community and growth executive director Steven Farquharson all agreed that meetings of the ad hoc parking committee had stalled.
“Each one of the committee members had a different want, a different ask,” said Farquharson. “We were kind of spinning our tires at these meetings. This will now have a professional give that recommendation to council on what the parking program should look like."
“Even in our meetings with the ad hoc committee, we had one member of the public attend."
Meridis expressed concerns with the $50,000 request and wondered why an initial conversation of $20,000 to $25,000 had been informally suggested when the topic of a consultant had been raised.
Coun. Jamie-Lee Ball asked Farquharson if comparable data could be obtained by asking other municipalities with similar parking issues for their metrics, but was told that each municipality was different.
“Our downtown is very connected to our waterfront whereas (Penetanguishene) is not,” said Farquharson.
He added that a consultant would look at where parking machines would generate the most revenue, how the boat launch could be handled, as well as free parking on King Street. In addition, public engagement would be guaranteed.
Meridis asserted that the $50,000 was too much and attempted to amend the motion so a lower amount could be discussed, but Mayor Bill Gordon countered that any spending would require council approval, and to haggle would delay the consultant.
Said Gordon: “We just finished abandoning a significant expense; something that we tried to do our own research on and to come up with this fantastical model; we were going to make a million bucks. We spent a lot of money putting equipment in.
“The public rebelled against it and rejected it for valid reasons, and then we pulled it all out and now we’re eating it, and selling things 10 cents on the dollar. We’ve abandoned revenue for a full year,” Gordon noted. “I think the lesson to learn from the past is not to repeat it. I think it’s time to get the experts in, since it’s been since 2012.
“It's a small price to pay considering the amount we invested and lost; not only in the capital but also in the revenues this year, and quite frankly, in some of the faith from the community in our ability to get parking right,” Gordon added.
Coun. Howie Major requested that the consultants make their visit during winter to experience Midland’s parking difficulties in the snow and slush.
“If we get consultants, I want them to be four seasons up here, not roll through town in August and think everything’s great,” said Major. “Let them go down there with their galoshes on and trek through the snow.”
Council approved retaining a parking consultant with staff tasked to aim well under $50,000, and funding to be provided from the parking reserve.
The ad hoc parking committee update report is available in the council agenda on the town of Midland website.
Council meetings are held every third Wednesday, and can be viewed on Rogers TV cable channel 53 when available, or through the livestream on the Rogers TV website. Archives of council meetings are available through Rogers TV and on the Town of Midland’s YouTube channel.
