Parking meter showing new Passport Parking app sticker in downtown Jamestown
The new parking meters in downtown Jamestown are causing headaches for users and city administration.
Council Member at Large Jeff Russell shared at the March 6 work session that a resident contacted him about the meters not accepting change, even though the new meters are supposed to be able to do that as well as be paid using an app on the smartphone.
Public Works Director Jeff Lehman said the meters that were installed at the end of 2021 have an automatic solar charging part that has stopped working once the Fall and Winter months hit, “So, a large percentage of the batteries have died out. We’ve looked at replacing them. The problem with replacing them is that you’re just putting a fresh battery in and they’re not getting charged unless we have a sunny day. We’re struggling with it. What we’ve found is that that there’s only one place to get the batteries so we’re sort of at their disposal.”
Lehman said the city only had a one-year warranty with the meters, and that has now expired.
Mayor Eddie Sundquist replied he was trying to hold back anger when it comes to the parking meter company, “So, you’ll notice that some of the meters have been replaced with just the coin. We have kind of retrofitted them to just use the coins. In the meantime, some meters just in the way they’re shaped cannot handle that, so you have to use the app. We’re now going on almost two months of not getting these batteries in and we’re having a lot of issues with a company we’re required to purchase them from as part of our agreement.”
Lehman said anyone having issues with meters, including getting a ticket due to a faulty meter, should take down the meter number and call the Department of Public Works at 716-483-7545.
Anyone who installs anything solar in NY is crazy. We do not have enough sunny days in the winter. My late father built an underground house with solar panels in the Kennedy area. He had to put in gas heat in the house as this is NOT Arizona & the solar panels were useless in winter. Nothing solar is going to work in NY in winter.