A passion for parking drives city of Duluth’s newest hire
April 1, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Matthew Kennedy, Duluth’s new parking pointman, will be the first to admit few people share his unique passion.
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A passion for parking drives city of Duluth’s newest hire
15 Comments
So, the work is being contracted out AND done by the city…how cost-efficient.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I’m not sure if I understand this….. So they are going to hire a private firm to manage the cities off street parking facilities. Then the city goes out and hires its own manager to help manage this private manager? How many layers of management do they need? Maybe I’m up way too early to be reading the newspaper.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Double dipping to make things better for the tourists. Money can always be found for them. Duluth, good place to visit, not to live.
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The racer x has spoken. A new public manager to manage the new private manager will lower costs and bring increased revenue. By their admission they will forgive the tourists and sock it to the residents. His last place of employment was Mpls. Duluth is just not quite on par with that city. You’ll have to get over it no matter how cosmopolitan Duluth wants its image to be.
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The article doesn’t say who will manage the manager who manages the management company.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Who said anything about MPLS? I am sure he will try to increase revenue. What would you do if you had that job? The article says payroll will be lower. If you live here and can’t figure out how to park without getting a ticket then your saying they should forgive your transgression? “Aw c’mon don’t charge me the 12 bucks, I’ve lived here for years!”
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Look the price of parking on the street all day is going to go up. As it should. Street parking is so abused. Downtown parking is a horrible problem and cannot get any worse. So this can only be good. Why don’t you go downtown? One of the top two reasons is parking.
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I wonder if central parking systems will be said contractor?
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“Close collaboration with local community and business associations — and with all stakeholders in the city’s parking program —will serve a vital role in bringing exciting improvements to the Duluth parking experience,” he said.
He’s got all the bureaucratic jargon down. I know I’m excited and incentivized to partake in Downtown’s parking experiences.
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I heard that I.V. Foster, former superintendent of Duluth public schools, is going to manage this new manager!
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I have to agree…hiring a manager and a company to do his work just doesn’t see right. Who will supervise the non-manned paystations? Will the pay stations have a Christmas Party (oops…I mean a holiday party).
Some of the language here is downright laughable… incentivised…excited….ya, I know I get all tingly when I think about my options when it comes to parking DT.
When will the GDC understand that big box retail is not now or ever likely to come into the urban area and start making the area better for professional businesses.
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I want to say something political about this… but I just can’t think of a comment that doesn’t involve this guy’s resemblance to Mr. Bean.
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without any support of the reason, the comments here are so negative. Duluth Downtown parking is a MESS. It is horrible. Hiring someone passionate can only help. I predict that by the middle of this summer longer term street rates will be higher. Short term rates lower, street parking easier to find and ramps better managed. Two years from now it will be be amazing. But people will still grumble because downtown parking will never be free. No its not. And gridlock and status quo won’t make it free, either. So just get it in your head that parking is a limited resource and costs money. The only people that need to worry here, the people that will have to change their habits hence stress their brains, will be downtown workers that try to get by plugging meters all day or simply eating the $12 ticket. If you visit downtown to shop or or for special events you won’t love this (because it won’t be free) but you will notice it is better.
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Parking isn’t the problem. Cars are the problem. There can’t possibly be enough room downtown for every man, woman, and child to park their own car, no matter how you configure it. Hopefully this guy can create some incentives that encourage people to carpool or ride the bus instead.
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