New Hope Borough considers reimbursement for entry mistakes in kiosk parking system

At a workshop March 4, New Hope Borough Council discussed how to handle parking violations from people who miscoded their information in the new parking kiosk stations only to realize it when they saw a ticket.

The system requires entering a hlicense plate number from the vehicle.

The council considered cutting parking fees in half, but a process was required since fines, unlike fees, are set by ordinance. A decision was made to study the possible draft of a procedure to change the fee from $20 to $10 in such cases.

In other business, Borough Manager E.J. Lee described the lineup of items planned for the borough newsletter. She recommended including the 2019 budget, historic district and information from the historical architectural review board (HARB), a review of the new parking kiosk system, building permit process reminders, shade tree commission reports, information from the fire chief including the annual report from the Eagle Fire Company, police reports, borough community programs and outreach efforts, and library programs.

A 30 percent readership is a “win,” according to Lee, who explained that capturing 30 to 40 percent of the community as readers is a good number. That statistic tends to go up during weather events, and the newsletter is expected to be helpful during election registration and delineating polling places.

Factors in maintaining the newsletter involve money to print, delivery logistics and timeliness.

A road paving project could change the New Hope terminus of Stoney Hill Road into a one-way street. As Stoney Hill wends its way towards the terminus, it splits off from Sugan Road which crosses Aquetong Creek and travels along a thin roadway to meet Mechanic Street.

Current street parking encroaches on width for emergency vehicles, and adding drainage improvements would further narrow that right-of-way.

As with Mechanic Street between Stoney Hill and Sugan roads, the borough is studying the possibility of making the small section of Stoney Hill Road between Mechanic Street and Sugan Road a one-way street in the opposite direction of the other segment.