Give me a Break Mr. Caldwell Wells Fargo has a Parking lot next to the bank that your patrons use so there was neaver heardship to you or your business...Next the main street area is not a flowing Business District since most of the business burnd down or were torn down for poor infulstructure, leaving main street District a Ghost Town even durning business hours. Marshall Steet has a more traffic and back in 2008 I was along with Resident of Astor Street at the Parking Meeting with Mr. Calswell, Mr.Simpaon, Mr. Sereney and Officer Rambo and Officer Hendricks. Mrs Young and I were not infavor of the metters and then we asked why they could not expand on the Poly Park. At one point I asked Mr.Caldwell about the installation and the revenue of the metters and his response to us was the the installation of the meters would exceed the revenue. Now if I was installing something that would end up casting me more then what it worth WHY DO IT? As for Mr. Caldwell not being able to grab, eator buy and run. Again give be a break, Mr Caldwell lives on the middle of the 500 blk of Haws Ave which is only a two to three block walk from home. Are your legs broken?

From what I just read in this story, I would agree with those that are saying the meter prices are too high. It should be 50 cents for half hour. That way if someone just wants to run into a store for few minutes they can put in a quarter - that shouldn't be a deterrant. (700 block noble)

The meters are not calabrated correctly. I placed placed a quarter in 3 different meters as a test and all three gave a different number of minutes purchased. I agree that the cost of the meters is to expensive. To park in downtown Philadelphia for 1 hour cost $1.50.
The West Marshall district should be metered without question,but the price point is to high for West Marshall St. Another issue is the white lines are all but invisable, meaning they need to be repainted. Customers are wiling to pay for parking but $1.50 Wow..... I agree that some of the money should go back to the West Marshall street to improve the Area. Council should revist this issue and make adjustments before the businesses suffer any greater loss.

Dave Sereny
9:33 pm on Sunday, March 4, 2012
I have personally witnessed how these meters are having a detrimental impact on the business area.

First of all, the meters are old and suffer from inconsistent time allocation depending on the meter. Also the viewing windows on some are so hazy that you can bearly see the time on the LCD readout.

In addition the tickets are being aggressively issued, even when customers are running in to acquire change for the meters they come out to a ticket.

I was present for all parking meetings and did agree that meters would be fine, but never heard of these high fees being implemented. Most merchants are in agreement that .25 cents for a half hour would be reasonable and acceptable.

I hope Council reconsiders these fees in a quick fashion, before business's start moving and boards start going on windows!

This system is not creating business. Our customers come from all over,and to be honest the parking enforcement officers are brutal. I've seen them giving tickets to people just getting out of there car and standing at the kiosk, just to get back to the vechicle to see a ticket for almost $30. I agree no one wants to openn up buisness in Norristown anymore. I know my buisness is gonna boom and I'm a norristown native.

It is just unbelievable how the Municipality does things that are counter-productive to discourage business's from operating in Norristown. Once a customer is slammed with a $28 dollar ticket (which I consider a form of usury), they will never come back to eat or shop in Norristown again. Norristown never seems to be able to get out of its own way.

Business is the heart of any City!

I heard today that Planet Hoagie is thru with Norristown and will be relocating their business to another area outside of Norristown.

How do they expect customers to pay such an exhorbantly high fee to shop on little old Marshall st. I wonder if the Council even considers the negative impact they are having on the business owners or even care for all that matters.

As an owner of a small barber shop I really depend on Parking for my customers but recently all my customers are complaining about getting tickets. My income was down in Feb by about 35%. I am really mad that no council person ever came to see me about these meters. If business's keeps going like this past month or the lack thereof, I will be closing my shop down.

I will never go to west Marshall st again! I have been a loyal customer of Mario's barber shop, but the other day I ran in for a quick haircut putting a few quarters into a meter and when I came out to my car it had a ticket. I might have been a minute or two over on the meter, so a $15 dollar haircut suddenly became $40.

The problem with West Marshall is that employees took up much of the parking along the street. Many of us that wanted to shop there were unable to because of no parking. Sounds to me like the merchants are now upset they have to pay for parking. It will settle it self out.....I do agree though that the parking rates are to high for a person just to run and grab something from a merchant.

Everyone with a business in Norristown has to pay more now because Norristown made deals with Logan Square businesses to give them special TIP consideration which means they won't have to pay any taxes to operate in Norristown. All the current businesses are chopped liver to Norristown council people. They are just interested in whoring themselves to new businesses now.

I too share the same sentiments as Tony. I have been a long time patient of Carp Dental on Marshall st. The other day after having a painful procedure,I left the office to more pain in a $28 dollar ticket. The girls in the office assured me they will be moving off the street soon and apologized for the ticket. I will also never shop, eat or do any business on this street never ever again!

I also had a horible expiernce on marshal st and think its way to much money to park their. i got a ticket and am mad about it. i hate norristown

I have a business on Marshall st for 15 year and didnt even know who my council person is. They never come to my salon to ask if they can help me. My business going down since meters added. I can't believe they do this to me and my family. We have work hard to build our nail business and now will have to move when lease done or may be sooner.

I hesitate to write this comment usually being reticent in nature, But I believe it needs to be stated that this City Council doesnt understand that the Business community cannot tolerate anymore obstacles in addition to this harsh economic environment. The incorporation of meters having outrageoulsy overpriced fees can topple these fragile Business districts. Mr Caldwell has no idea of what it is like to run a small business in Norristown. Him trying to equate a major bank to other businesses in Norristown shows his ignorance. Mr Caldwell, why don't you get to know your constituents and hear their pain? Being a Council person shouldnt be about social status, but should be about working hard for those you represent! Being a homeowner in town and formerly operating and owning a Business in town many years ago, my sympathies are with the hardworking small business owners.

With two malls having free parking lots within a few miles, there is no way people will pay to shop in Norristown.

What do you expect, They needed to find a way to make up for the cost associated with the Sandy st nightmare. So they did two things, jacked up our taxes and installed meters. Total ineptitude!

What idiots decided with putting these junkie meters all up in here. This is crazy boy! Whos going to pay my rent this month since I got hardly no customers? Bill Caldwell be talking about shear aggravation, I'm talking bankruptcy! Fools

I have been a lifelong resident of Norristown. What truly amazes me is It's like déjà vu.
The area of West Marshall st started to show promise a couple other times since the 60's only to be thwarted by meters being installed. When the proving to be a mistake running business out of town they were taken away. How many times does this town have to learn the same lesson. My husband and I really enjoy the Mexican restaurants but refuse to pay meters to go eat. We will be going out of Norristown for our weekend dinners!

I am an angry reciprient of a ticket. You cant be serious that it's $28 bucks for a parking ticket. What the heck kind of crap is that. No wonder my friends call this place Notown.

There are way too many places to go with free parking and great areas with less expensive parking. Norristown has put the proverbial nails in the business communities coffin.

When I learned of the possible Hollywood studios years back, I actually thought Norrristown had a chance, and that those in charge might be smarter than anyone had given them credit. I must say I was dis-illusioned by the hype and thought Norristown would be a great place to be proud to live, not only was that bubble busted, but now I see they are doing things such as the meters to take us back several steps. I am too old to think about moving at this point in my life but just wish I would have had a chance to see Norristown see another heyday. Perhaps someone will come to their senses before it's too late.

In addition to my previous comment. Living on Astor street is proving to be a challange with cars parking here instead of feeding the meters all that money.

What do you expect from a practically bankrupt city. They will cash in on what ever they can. I wonder how long it will take before a worker starts stealing from the meters as they have in the past. Where is there to shop on Marshall st anyway?

I think all these comments really speak to all the frustration we are dealing with as store owners. I have never seen a Council person in my store and don't believe they really care about the small businesses, but just want to increase their bottom line because of their own poor management induced shortfalls. They are sending the town into a downward spiral which will not be recoverable. My business is down at least 20 percent in the last few weeks. I cannot continue in this manner. They are forcing me out of business!

I use to frequent the coffee talk every morning before continuing into work. Now, I understand they have closed their operation due to the meters be installed. I don't know how a business like that could possibly survive the burden brought on by the expensive meters. Norristown has never had a clue! Good luck to the other businesses there.

I own planet hoagie in Norristown and will be closing in may and moving to downtown west Chester....and honestly can not wait for it!!! I'm so tired of this town . I love all my customers it's not them I have a problem with but the lack of any sort of development in the 9 years I've been here.
Besides putting in new side walks and benches and huge parking garages for no one to park in! I actually got disorderly conduct citation from officer Rambo for yealing at the meter man for giving one of my 80 year old customers a ticket on a obviously broken meter! I took it to court and got it thrown out and the judge actually told the parking enforcement they need to revalue their whole procedures. Norristown needs to get a clue it is going nowhere insanely fast!

Hey Chris, Sorry to hear you're leaving town. You were a great asset and it sounds like you were not appreciated. Being cited for disorderly conduct while trying to protect one of your customers certainly sounds like bad judgement on the officers part. I wish you luck in West Chester where I understand they treat their business owners with great appreciation.

Nice story! It's a a shame Norristown has no plan for Business retention or attraction. surprised to hear Planet Hoagie is pulling up their stakes and moving out of town after nine years, but can't blame them. In my humble opinion the meters are priced way too high.

I drive down Marshall st every day for the past 20 some years and have never seen it as empty as now. The street itself has come along way in the recent years but I'm afraid a mistake has been made. Dekalb st has come along way as well and I say kudos for that.

Holy heck, I parked on Marshall today and was $2.00 for an hour. I talked to a womanmwhomsaid that depending on what block you park the hourly amount is different. I just want to know how I am expected to keep feeding the meter when having dental work performed.

Interesting video interview with Donald Shoup, UCLA professor/expert on city parking policy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgtF0B_mxuE

Nice post Colton! I hesitated to post on emotion alone even though my business has been effected tremendously. There is not a day that goes by that at least one of my customers dont complain about the meters and threatening not to return to Marshall st because of the high price meters. The message I heard in this video, is meters with correct pricing will produce a vacancy rate for parking of about 15% which equals success. also 100% of the revenue should be reinvested in the same district in which the money was collected, for sidewalk maintenance, repairs and improvements. I wonder what vacancy rate our council used as the basis of their established rates and if they planned on the current vacancy rate of 75%.

It would appear that Donald Shoup, UCLA professor/expert on city parking policy should be considered a valuable resource, and Norristown Council should consider what he is saying in this video. Instituting haphazard legislation can be very damaging to a community. I never really shopped or ate on Marshall or Main st, so the meters have a negligible impact for me at that level, but I am concerned if the business tax base dwindles away that my taxes will go up.

What specific restaurants did Mr. Caldwell speak to? Had to laugh, famous last words "It will get better" trust me.

"I'm probably the only one in the room who's had the opportunity to operate a business with the new parking meters now, going on month three," Caldwell (who runs the Wells Fargo on East Main Street) said to West End business owners at the last council meeting. "What we found in talking with the restauranteurs in the two blocks affected, as well as myself, is that we really have not seen a drop in business. I think you're going to go through probably two months of sheer aggravation... It will get better."

I guess their trying to make Mainmst more desolate. Since Main Changes left, we have no real stores that would attract out of towners.

It was interesting to see in another publication that Norristown is bringing in 1 Million in parking tickets. Is that a bad thing?

While the Muncipality may indeed be Increasing their income through confiscatory practices, at what cost to the business owners does this have? Will the business districts be sustainable with these over priced parking fees and associated tickets?

I visit Manayunk quite often and it is much less costly for parking, while the street has so much more to offer compared to Norristown. This is just another example of why all surrounding areas continue to excel and Norristown is left wallowing in misery. There is no real leadership and / or direction. Based on the councilmens comments, it is obvious that he has not a clue. While Living in East Norriton, I believe my family and I suffer the consequences of a mismanaged Norristown. I will never go there for anything except if I need to serve jury duty.

I share your pain Janice. I too live in East Norriton and my School taxes continue to increase because of Norristowns incorrigible inner city youth. Norristown has always been a mismanaged and at times corrupt city. The leadership there or should I say lack thereof is the problem. A year or so ago a CHOP wanted to locate a satellite hospital there and the powers that be, shot it down. That pretty much says it all.

I ran into the Eskins hardware store, first putting a quarter in the meter, low and behold I came out to a friggin $28.00 ticket! I'll never go there again. That is is ridiculous for a parking ticket! Next time I will drive the extra mile and go to Lowes. Norristown sucks!

I was wondering what happened to all the cars I usually see parked on Marshall st. This explains it. The City has chased them away. LOL!

I witnessed a similar travesty while living Near Santa Monica. The Government got greedy and almost devastated a small business district. It's a shame the Government just doesn't get it. Most have no real business sense and get elected merely to exult Their Ego's. After they serve Their term, they leave, and Their failures don't effect them financially or personally.

We pay 50 cents an hour here in Ambler to park. I don't know much about Norristown except that it is full of crime. I don't think I'd go there even if you Paid me to park. Sorry!

Why on earth would they install meters during this bad economy especially with the rocketing gas prices. I would never pay to park when there are so many strip malls around with free parking. Norristown screws themselves again.

I guess if you can buy good drugs there, a few bucks to park is no big deal. Lol

Thanks Norristown we lose a lot of our customers because of meters. We will be moving our nail shop.

So today I kept putting money in a meter and someone said to me why are you putting money in the meter you already got a ticket, I can't believe this Bullshoot, I go to center city and pay less and now I have a 28 dollar ticket which is nuts.

I was told the high meter charges were to scare away Mexican and Asian stores which is a good thing. Once those stores leave it can be Americans all up in there. They should raise price to ten dollars an hour! Council people are smarter then you all give them credit for being.

Nah man this aint no good. These meters be wanting some mad money. I ain't filling my chair and making enuf cash to pay my rent and feed my babies. Who the councilman for up on Marshall st anyone got his digits?

I drive around not thru Norristown when commuting. Even though i live in Jeffersonville, Just blocks away from Norristown, I will NEVER go there to shop, dine or entertain, not only is it dangerous, but It's a city with no future that continues to dig itself deeper into a grave. The meters will surely be the proverbial nails in the coffin of the business districts.

Try sending a package at the Norristown post office and see what that will cost you!

As someone else earlier posted, there are plenty of strip malls and restaurants which have free parking so why would anyone pay high amounts to park . The current people running the government will go down in history for causing the death blow of the town. I find phoenixville worth the .50 cents an hour. The micro brewery Alone makes it worth while.

Anyone expecting anything different outta norristown is nuts. They don't care about anyone but their selfs. I lived hear all my life and they ain't gonna change. They want more and more money straight up.

Does anyone know anything about when and where the next council meeting is, so I can go and give them a piece of my mind?

Why does council continue to insult our intelligence? We remember all to well how you tortured us just a short year ago with your change to the trash rules. You wouldn't back down until we fought back. It's a shame that is how you do business, but it explains the current state of the town all too well.
The only way you people know how to pay for your own stupid mistakes is to gouge the tax payers. If the investors were allowed to vote that would all change!!

Not a bad idea to implement meters but, holy cow did I read the story right that the cost is $1.50 an hour. No offense to the fine business's there, but none of them can demand that kind of additional cost for their products or services. King of Prussia plaza and Plymouth meeting mall are just a few miles from Norristown and have free parking.

It's very hard to be a proud resident of norristown. They just do some of the dumbest things to perpetuate the stigma of it being a bad place to live. It just isn't a friendly environment and the council is always looking for more money at the expense of ruining the town. I am absolutely aghast At the $1.50 an hour meters that were installed. We have no hope!

I went into Upholostory shop to find out about having my chairs done and came out and got ticket. That's wrong. I am a single mom with two kids and can't afford this kinda ticket for twenty eight dollars. In Philly they be fifteen dollars.

Main st and Dekalb st should be the main focus. Marshall st is nothing but junky mexican shops. There's not one American store on that scuzzy street anymore. The street should not be supported by the Borough.

I agree with all American. One man ruined that street to line his pockets and hall the money to his mansion!

I find it ironic that Dave Sereny is quoted as saying.......... "If you took that money and reinvested it back into this area, it would be OK," he said. "But when you're taking the money that you're getting from the meters and the tickets and you're using it to bolster your bottom line of your general funds, I've got a problem with that. You're sucking money from this area and you're not giving anything back to us."...........isn't that what he does every month when he gets paid all of his rent money?

Seems like the meters aren't as much of an issue as the cost of the parking and tickets. Hopefully a group can get together go to a council meeting and demand the prices of the parking and tickets be lowered. You are the buisness owners and tax payers here! Anyone who gives push back on the issue, be sure to remember their name come election time!

It is obvious that you can do all the yelling and screaming you want, but they need to balance their budget and don't care who they destroy in the process. As the previous poster says you must take your pain to the polls and vote them out of office.

So It sounds like if you have a couple hours of business to do, you will need 12 extra quarters in your pocket. I never carry around that kind of change and if I did wouldn't feed it into a meter. Norristown has nothing really special to offer, so I'll just stay in the burbs. In all fairness The Elmwood Park zoo is actually a nice place to visit and offers FREE parking and is on the outskirts of NOtown, I actually must admit we take the kiddies there.

This is exactly why Norristown will never be a great place. Too many foolish people making decisions. My friends and I go to Manyunk, Phoenixville, Old city and many other Great places and dont pay that kinda of money for meters. It's usually fifty cents an hour. Even if there were some great place to eat, we wouldn't go at those prices!

I was talking to the owner of Estins today and he said he layed off his employees because business is so bad. I pulled up to the street and was the only car on his block. Somethng got to change or I envision lots of stores closing.

I must say the meters have opened spaces and made it really convenient to run into a store, but I highly doubt anyone would want to spend time on Marshall st dropping quarters into the meters for an extended stay visiting several shops.

Pay to park in Norristown? HaHaHaHa

A colleague and I had lunch at the Mexican restaurant (don't know it's name) on the corner of Marshall and I believe chain. We were the only ones in there from 12:15 to about one o'clock. The food was good and the service wasn't bad. I'm not sure how they stay in business. Not sure if it was attributed to meters but the street looked empty in general. What a real shame.

I got A freaking 28 dollar ticket yesterday just running in for a pack of smokes. I was in the store for less than two minutes and there was a ticket on my car. Its almost like aomeone watched me pull up and immediately ran to my car to give me ticket. Why the heck do they issue tickets so aggressively especially since I was the only car on the street.

It's amazing how many people have posted on here, and apparently it has no effect on the powers that be. I really empathisize with posters like Chris who owns Planet Hoagie and is giving up his operation in Norristown and moving on to another town who has its act together. My recommendation would be a class action lawsuit against the municipality For "depriving you of your livelihood". A federal lawsuit can really put them back on their heals. It is not lawful for a municipality to impose fees for their general funds. This excerpt taken from Wikipedia" Parking meters have been challenged in court many times for many many years, but are considered legal if the parking meters are used for purposes of parking regulation and not for revenue purposes"

Wikipedia article in its entirety ....... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_meter

Legality of meters
Parking meters have been challenged in court many times for many many years, but are considered legal if the parking meters are used for purposes of parking regulation and not for revenue purposes. In a 1937 case in Oklahoma,[14] H.E. Duncan contended that the ordinances impose a fee for the free use of the streets, which is a right of all citizens of the state. The Courts ruled that free use of the streets is not an absolute right, but agreed with an unpublished 1936 Florida court decision that said, "If it had been shown that the streets on which parking meters have been installed under this ordinance are not streets where the traffic is sufficiently heavy to require any parking regulations of this sort

, or that the city was making inordinate and unjustified profits by means of the parking meters, and was resorting to their use not for regulatory purposes but for revenue only, there might have been a different judgment."

My shop suffering a 35 percent decline in sales because of the high meters in the last month and continues to go down on every day. Do the township realizes or cares that their putting me out of business? I got a flyer to go to the council this Tuesday at 7:30 pm. You best believe I be there and I hope to see some of these other to. The future of norristowns business are in trouble! my business will be closing its doors in two months if something isn't done to lower the meters to 50 cent an hour. My customers are not happy at and I can't pay ther tickets all the time. I have been on Marshall st 13 years but this could be the end.

I forgot to say all the other town meters be 50 cent an hour why Noristown think they can charge more. They hurting us and it ain't fair.

New reader of patch and I must say they write some very nice pieces. Norristonwn needs good investigative reporting to keep the officials straight. Now to the subject at hand, I personally would not pay these high prices to park and shop. Maybe I have grown accustomed to free parking at shopping centers in the suburbs. The old towns and cities have a real challange on their hands but I don't know that this such a good way to go about generating money. It surely will back fire and Norristown will be left with little to no commerce. I ride by the empty stores on Main st everyday just wondering when they will be occupied. I see other towns thriving even in the middle of these hard times. Maybe norristown needs to learn from them.

Grossly overpriced meters!

Norristown is a city that keeps shooting itself in the foot!

Paying to park on Marshall Street? How much are they paying us?

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont want to see West Marshall street blighted again. Residents who dont want blight in their neighborhoods should go to the council meeting ATuesday April 3rd 7:15pm and voice your concerns and support the merchants who are suffering. If we loose the merchants , we loose the neigborhood, our taxes will go up again, crime goes up, property values go down. Don't just complain TAKE ACTION AND GO TO THE COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY APRIL 3rd At 7;15pm

They should be ashamed of theirselves. I like Mary Ellen's comments. She tells it as it is. This is why Norristown sucks.

Did I read the article right.? One dollar and fifty cents for an hour to park. Do they realize the plaza and the court are a couple miles away with free parking. Wow talk about unreasonable.

"norristown where you belong" but it will cost you more than any surrounding area.

Norristown has forever been known as. Being unsupportive of business. This is just another example .

When the business district has no cars parked along its streets, it compounds the problem and does very little to entice passerbys to stop and shop. I would never pay these high fees to park, especially in Norristown. You must have very weak representation which you need to replace.

Mi business es downed 35%. Para I no be able to keep abierto. Nosotros necesicita ayuda.

i got a ticket there last week and am still pizzed off. How can they possibly think any thing in Norristown is worth .25 cents for 10 minutes. I will be at this meeting if I dont have to work overtime. i will give those suckers a piece of my mind.

The addition of high dollar meters is counter-productive towards revitalization. Norristown will continue to be a community of social ills and entitlements when managed in this fashion. The taxes are disproportionately high when compared to other areas. Norristown is heading into an abyss, a place of NO return. We are a safe haven for criminals on the lamb running from the law in Philly.

Let's see I can go to Ambler, Manyunk or Phoenixville for 50 cents an hour, or Norristown for 1.50 an hour. Where am I going to go? The council members for these districts are not serving the business people as they should. William Caldwell.... fight for your business district, and have these meter prices lowered.

Our sales are down at least 25 percent and we attribute it to mr Caldwell and the people on council who voted for the meter prices being so high. We have lost customers who will never come back again. They just don't understand what we are up against as small business owners. I wonder how they sleep at night?

Norristown, the town that hates itself.

I hear they're going to put meters in front of your houses to balance the budget.

I Heard they are considering toll booths on Dekalb, main, and markley streets. They will have this budget balanced in no time.

Talk about biting off your nose to spite your face. Norristown does this very well. They are casting their own fate in stone.

COME TO THE COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT At 7 pm
PROTEST THE PARKING RATES
JOIN THE MANY WHO WILL BE THERE
SPEAK OUT OR SIT IN SILENT PROTEST
hold your elected officals accountble to your needs. This is your home , so stand up , show up, and do something about it.
council meeting 7;15 municipal Hall

I made it to the council meeting and since it was my first, I just observed. Council people didn't want everyone to talk. Some people were very mad and I think they all had very good points. I guess if they don't do what they ask even more people be there next time.

Norristown pizzeria tax.$1 per pepperoni, $1 per pizza box.

The marijuana and cocaine in the pizza box cost extra.

Borough council complaint fee $100....unlimited complaints up to 1 minute.

Tatoo fee...$1 per tatoo.

Spanish language fee.....one nickel per word fee.

One car per driveway. $5 per day for extra cars.

We just balanced the budget.