Duluth Trading announces opening, La Crosse to charge for parking ASAP

Board apparently wants to
make good impression for store

The Duluth Trading Company announced today that it will open in downtown La Crosse on June 9. 

The decision from the parking board at a meeting Wednesday, upon hearing that news, was to get the parking gates back up and charge for parking ASAP. 

It appears the city does not want to miss out on this incentive to charge for parking with a new store in town. 

The spin from city leaders: They want to be sure there are a lot of hourly parking spots available for customers in the nearby ramps.

Originally, parking utility coordinator Jim Flottmeyer’s date for the gates to be reinstalled was Aug. 1. Though, earlier this week, he hoped the gates would be up in time for Riverfest, July 1.

Parking board member Elaine Yager said making sure there’s enough hourly parking in the La Crosse Center ramp would help present a good image to Duluth Trading Company.

Since February, the gates have been removed. Parking was free for a few months and now, is set at a three-hour limit but still free.

The city loses about $10,000 a month not charging for parking, while it has batted around ideas for better ways to charge.

The gates were often destroyed – by drivers leaving the ramps of vandals, often at bar time – or malfunctioned, leading to their removal.

Since the ticket machines charging for parking were turned off, the city has had occasional shortages in the public stalls – but often, before reinstating a three-hour limit, preventing downtown workers from parking in the public stalls on the first floors, rather than their private stalls above.