Parking officials last month upheld two tickets issued to an employee of a business downtown who had overstayed the time limit for on-street parking there.
Maria Ju told members of the Parking Commission during her appeal hearing that she received two tickets about one week apart after overstaying in her space by about 10 minutes.
“I was working at the ophthalmology office and I got stuck,” she said at the hearing, held July 12 at Town Hall. “We were busy in the office … I was with a patient and I could not get out, so I missed it by 10 minutes.”
Commissioner Peter Ogilvie noted that one of the office’s patients had also overstayed in his parking spot and was ticketed, and came before the panel seeking to have the ticket voided recently.
Chairman Keith Richey told Ju that the Commission is “pretty much against employees of the shops along Main and Elm parking in the street.”
“We want them to park with a very cheap permit in the Center Lot, or parking in Morse Court and paying by the hour,” Richey said. “So we try to provide low-cost alternatives [to free on-street parking].”
He added that Ju should “not feel optimistic” about her appeal.
In fact, the Commission voted 5-0 to uphold her ticket. Those voting in favor of upholding were Richey, Ogilvie and Commissioners Pam Crum, Chris Hering and Stuart Stringfellow.
“She had no defense,” Richey said during deliberations.