Downtown parking permit program extended
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
Heidi Desch is features editor and covers Flathead County for the Daily Inter Lake. She previously served as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, spending 10 years at the newspaper and earning honors as best weekly newspaper in Montana. She was a reporter for the Hungry Horse News and has served as interim editor for The Western News and Bigfork Eagle. She is a graduate of the University of Montana. She can be reached at hdesch@dailyinterlake.com or 406-758-4421. | December 1, 2021 1:00 AM
Whitefish is extending a pilot parking program that allows for the purchase of a parking pass for all-day parking in four specific parking areas downtown.
The city launched a trial run of the program in July and August this summer with the goal of encouraging employees to park in the lots rather than in on-street parking spots. The cost of the permit at $20 per month allows for one license plate to park in any of three surface parking lots and the top level of the city parking garage during daytime hours. There were 85 permits purchased, which was the maximum
City Clerk Michelle Howke said since the program ran for two months, the city’s parking committee felt it was not long enough to make decisions on future parking management.
“The intent of the pilot program was to alleviate the need for employees and business owners to leave work to move cars to avoid parking tickets, keeping convenient on-street parking open for customers of downtown business,” she said. “While minimizing the costs to the city of implementing the pilot program and collecting data to form future parking management decisions.”
City Council approved extending the program through December of 2022.
At the end of the program, surveys were sent out to participants with 21 responding. All who responded said that monthly price of $20 was a good value for the convenience of all-day parking, and 20 said they would participate again in the program.
The parking permit allows for parking at the parking at Third Street and Central Avenue, at the lot at East First Street and Spokane, in the lot directly south of the Whitefish Community Library and on the uncovered level of the City Hall parking garage.
Of the participants who responded to the survey, 17 said they prefered to park in the Third Street and Central Avenue parking lot. While permit holders can park in any of the designated lots, if a spot was unavailable in their first most choice most chose to park on the street.
MORE FRONT-PAGE-SLIDER STORIES
ARTICLES BY HEIDI DESCH

New jail comes with $105 million bond request
When Flathead County Justice of Peace Eric Hummel decides whether an individual charged with a crime will be held in the Flathead County Detention Center, he starts by checking the capacity of the jail.

Whitefish City Council looks at shift for affordable housing project
Whitefish on Monday will consider an agreement to transfer an affordable housing project planned by the Whitefish Housing Authority to a nonprofit.

Flathead County aims to tackle overcrowding with construction of new jail
When Flathead County Justice of Peace Eric Hummel decides whether an individual charged with a crime will be held in the Flathead County Detention Center, he starts by checking the capacity of the jail.