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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ne 3, 20 21 | 4 GetFREEupgrades tomakeyourhome moreenergyefficient Takea fewminutes toapply at: enbridgegas.com/winterproofing There's nothing like homecomfort HomeWinterproofingProgram © 2021 Enbridge Gas Inc. All rights reserved. Free if your income qualifies Draft proofing Goodbye drafts, hello comfort Upgraded insulation Like a warm blanket for your home Smart thermostat Easy to use, saves year round Oakville council has di- rected town staff to take an- other look at a plan that would see paid parking im- plemented at two popular waterfront parks. During its Tuesday, May 25 meeting, council voted to refer a motion calling for paid parking at the Bronte Beach Park and Tannery Park areas back to staff so more options can be devel- oped. In a report to council, Hania Ellison, manager of the town's strategy and sup- port services, noted the paid parking was being rec- ommended to help the town deal with the greater num- bers of people and vehicles attending the waterfront parks. "In 2020, with COVID re- strictions, visiting parks was a popular alternative for residents not being able to travel," said Ellison. "The increased atten- dance at the waterfront parks created a number of issues, including vehicles parking outside of designat- ed areas, parking after park closure and overflow park- ing into neighbourhood ar- eas." Ellison said paid parking is a common way to manage and control parking as it en- courages compliance with the regulations and time limits, promotes turnover of the parking spaces and can help support parking costs. The staff recommenda- tion called for a two-year pi- lot program starting in June in which paid parking would be introduced for vis- itors of the Bronte Beach Park and Tannery Park ar- eas. Town staff also recom- mended that parking at the waterfront parks be limited to a maximum of three hours. "This will allow visitors of the parks time to enjoy the parks while providing opportunity for more visi- tors to access the parks," said Ellison. "Permit holders would be exempt from this time limit." Another staff recom- mendation called for a set time for the parks' closure at 10 p.m. The report noted the cost of implementing paid park- ing at the two parks would be $32,300 followed by annu- al operating costs of $8,400. Town staff said revenues generated through parking rates, fees and penalties would cover these costs. Ward 2 Coun. Cathy Duddeck called for staff to take their recommenda- tions back to the drawing board, noting she would like to see an option where there are no parking fees for Oakville residents. "I have heard from sever- al residents as well as mem- bers of council who have suggested other municipal- ities that have excellent programs that provide free parking for the residents while still charging parking for those who are not resi- dents of the municipality," said Duddeck. Ward 6 Coun. Tom Ad- ams called for the proposed three-hour time limit to be modified. "I wonder if, a, that is re- ally necessary and, b, if it is necessary, could it be a lon- ger period like four or six hours," asked Adams. He also asked staff to take another look at the parking prohibitions now in place on the side streets near the waterfront, ques- tioning whether they are really required on both sides or if restrictions on one side would accomplish the same goal. Ward 1 Coun. Sean O'Meara said something needs to be done quickly, noting parking issues have already started at the wa- terfront following the arriv- al of warm weather. Oakville Mayor Rob Bur- ton said staff will bring their report back to council on or before the next coun- cil meeting on Monday, June 21. "If it's ready before then, I will call a special meeting so that no time is lost in ad- dressing this issue," he said. COUNCIL SENDS WATERFRONT PAID PARKING PLAN BACK TO STAFF Oakville council has sent plans to introduce paid parking at two waterfront parks back to staff to develop further options. Graham Paine/Metroland DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS MATTER EXPECTED TO RETURN TO COUNCIL JUNE 21 IF NOT SOONER