City officials said the parking rates at the garage will be $2 an hour or $6 per day. They added that there is also an option to purchase a $55 monthly pass.
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The parking garage will be officially opened to the public on Friday after a small opening ceremony that is scheduled for 2 p.m. that day. It will involve a ribbon cutting by Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland and those who attend will be asked to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The goal is to have those attending to park their cars inside a section of the garage during the ceremony. People who plan on attending will be allowed to stand outside of their vehicles as long as they are properly distanced from others, said Paul Hicks, the emergency services manager for the city.
He said the city sees this as a soft opening of sorts since it is unclear how many people are expected to use the garage in the coming weeks as some businesses continue to be closed or have limited their operations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
However, as the state begins to reopen portions of the state’s economy in phases, some of those businesses are expected to open back up soon.
Though the garage includes more than 3,000 square feet of retail space. The parking portion will be open on Friday. It will be manged by Republic Parking System LLC.
That company will oversee the operations of the garage, including contracts required to keep up the maintenance of that facility. Republic will also have someone at the site during the week days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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The parking garage is part of a larger plan by the city to better coordinate parking in the downtown area.
“As we continue to revitalize and increase activity in downtown, we need to have a better and more coordinated parking system,” Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck previously told the News-Sun.
He added that on street parking is usually meant for shorter trips whereas parking lots and the garage are designed for more long term stays.
The city also entered into a one-year renewable contract in March with Republic, which is not to exceed $610,490. As part of that agreement the city will be able to renew the contract for six additional one-year periods.
City officials stressed at the time that the contract does not mean that the city is obligated to spend that much while using the parking management company’s services.
As part of the contract, Republic is tasked with aiding the city as it looks to implement paid parking options in the downtown area, including the garage.
However, the city will currently not move forward with the purchasing or implementation of paid parking meters for on street parking spots. But the city could still authorize them in the future.
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