February 3, 2022 4:20 a.m.
Temporary “No Parking” signs in downtown Roseburg are for construction purposes only.
A release from the City of Roseburg said no current parking spaces are being removed.
Communications Specialist Suzanne Hurt said the paper signs are the same ones that the City has used for past construction projects. The release said City officials apologize for not giving advance notice about the signs to downtown professionals and customers.
Hurt said the paper signs and orange construction cones have been placed downtown to allow street crews and their vehicles to install permanent signs about the new parking time limits of two to three hours. Public Works Director Brice Perkins said the time-limited parking signs will be installed over the next two weeks.
City Manager Nikki Messenger said the configuration or placement of on-street parking spaces downtown won’t change. She said the signs simply allow access so the new time-limited signs can be installed. Messenger said, “The parking will still be free. We’re not changing the configuration of the spaces. We’re just changing the signage”.
The new signs are coming after a new parking services contractor, ACE Parking, began community outreach and education this week. The company recently won a contract to help the City resume parking enforcement downtown and in the Laurelwood neighborhood following community input on a new parking plan.
The release said the Roseburg Parking Stakeholder Advisory Committee met four times between September 2020 and February 2021 to work with the City on developing the Downtown Parking Assessment and Plan in 2021. That committee included downtown business owners and employees as well as residents of downtown and of Laurelwood. The committee reviewed on-street time limits, on-street paid parking zones, public off-street free and permit parking and other issues.
Community Development Department Director Stuart Cowie said a public outreach campaign was launched to get input from residents and other stakeholders and to prioritize key challenges and potential improvements for parking in downtown and in Laurelwood. Two virtual public hearings were held along with a public survey that was filled out by more than 300 residents. Cowie said that included 55 downtown business owners or workers.