By Doug Miller
City Manager Harold Porr III said Tuesday that he will discuss privatization with the new City Council members once they take office in January. By out-sourcing the management of the garage, the city would save money, since such duties as fee collection, sanitation and light maintenance would be handled by a private company, and the city would not have to hire additional employees. Because the structure will be a city-owned asset once it is completed, however, it will still be patrolled and protected by the city's police and fire departments.
Porr said he worked out a similar deal when he was city manager in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and it proved to be an economic boon.
"We figure out what it costs, and we use the revenues to build a capital reserve for maintenance, etc.," he said. "That way we can protect the city's budget."
But a sitting council member stressed that before any decisions can be made -- on the management of the garage or anything else -- the new City Council must gather. According to Councilman Denis Kelly, with three new members of the five-member council set to be sworn in in January, the future of every project is debatable.
"I think it's premature to speculate on who will be running anything," said Kelly. "We'd need to perform a cost/benefit analysis of this project and every project, then develop a real plan."
Kelly said a decision must be made about who, ultimately, the garage is meant to serve. There are plans to reserve a number of spaces for area employees, in the hopes that it would free up on-street parking for customers. But just how many spaces would depend on how many spots are taken by commuters.
"The purpose of the garage goes beyond the commuters," said Kelly. "It's so you and I can find a spot on the street to park, run into Echo Stationers and buy a notebook and run out.
"But if the garage isn't used to its full capacity, then we haven't done our jobs."
The project will create 390 spaces in the two decks of the garage, plus an additional 80 behind City Hall. A deal with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is building the $14 million facility and has promised to turn it over to the city once it is completed, sets aside 43 parking spots for MTA employees.
The garage has been partially open to the public since July, and will be fully operational by the first quarter of next year. An exact date has not been announced, but Porr said he is excited.
"I've had the luxury of watching every light post and every concrete slab go up from my window here [in City Hall]," he said. "This is a wonderful project that will give a tremendous boost to the viability of downtown."
