Chamber Says ‘no’ to Meters

Dr. Paul McGee, president of the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, presented a petition to the Town Council Tuesday night stating the opposition of business owners to the installation of parking meters in the Shirley Street business district.

McGee told the Council that business owners called the Chamber office to express concern about the parking meters and the negative impact the meters would have on their businesses.

“They formulated a petition and we wanted to see how many businesses were opposed to having meters and it was signed unanimously,” said McGee. “We just wanted to present it before the Council – regardless of how this thing turns out later on, whether they put in meters or not – I think it’s important that the Council be aware that businesses are opposed to it and they feel it would make a negative impact.”

McGee then read aloud the heading of the petition, “We, the undersigned businesses of Shirley Street, hereby oppose any plan to install parking meters of any sort in our business district.”

Councilor-at-Large Larry Powers said the matter will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the Council’s public safety committee on May 29 at 7 p.m. at a site to be determined. The committee will make its recommendation to the Town Council.