Newly paved parking lot comes at the end of a long trip

There’s fresh pavement – and even fresher lines – in the municipal parking lot behind the east side of Proton Street North.

The lot in the downtown has been gravel for years, with parking a bit of a free-for-all. While it’s called the Proton Street lot, the angular-shaped parcel is enclosed by the back of buildings on Holland, Artemesia and Main streets.

It’s used by patrons and employees at downtown businesses, residents and visitors at apartments.

It also has looked as if it’s used for long-term storage in the winter, judging by the drifts over vehicles/trailers, Deputy Mayor Barbara Dobreen observed at the June 19 Southgate council meeting.

She asked about how plowing of the paved lot would work, and whether tagging and towing would apply.

Mr. Ellis said there is going to be a policy coming forward. He said the township was not looking at parking fees for the lot.

In answer to a question from Coun. Joan John, Mr. Ellis said there are about 30 parking spaces in the lot.

There are designated spots for the Credit Union, the drug store, the CIBC. Approved, at the June 19 meeting, were seven spaces for the former Elliott Dairy building, now the Kozlowski apartments.

The project will be completed with signage to mark designated spots.

Mr. Ellis commented that there were a couple spaces lost around the horse shelter, for safety reasons.

EV CHARGING STATIONS

In 2023, work on the Proton Street parking lot pavement was delayed waiting for approvals from Hydro for the lights.

As part of the Proton Street parking upgrades, a connection was wired in the conduit, near the CIBC for electric vehicle charging. There will be a fee to use the EV charging station.

Charging sites are listed on apps used by electric vehicle owners, so they also are considered a boost to downtowns and nearby businesses, as travellers put in time while their vehicles are charging.

It will benefit residents, too, who have not had a public charging station until now.

PROJECT HISTORY

“It’s good to have this project finally accomplished,” said public works manager Jim Ellis.

Back in 2017, the area of the parking lot came into focus, as the township sold property to allow the pharmacy to re-build, and the land needed to be surveyed.

In 2018, the township agreed to a 10-year lease of some land from the Credit Union for the parking lot. This space compensated for the spaces lost from the municipal lot when a portion was sold for the site of the pharmacy.

As well, there was an exchange of equal-sized pieces of land with the CIBC to re-align the lot.

The report on June 19, 2024 said the parking lot project was budgeted in 2024 at $75,000. Funding of $45,000 to pay for part of the project originally was set aside from a Rural Economic Development grant from the province.

M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Dundalk Herald