During the most recent tourist season, the Town of Sylvan Lake found a need to add another residential area.
Ron Lebsack, director of community services, has identified the area north of 33 Street as another area in the downtown and Cabin District areas that needs to be added to the Resident Only Parking Program.
READ MORE: Visitor Pay Parking Program relaunches soon
Changes for pay parking program include more terminals
Lebsack said the change to a resident only parking in the area was one of the most requested items to come out of the second year of the parking program.
“[Residents in that area] are requesting this change for a couple of reasons, one of which is that the streets are narrow and it’s a little harder to find parking,” said Lebsack.
He continued adding many residents are finding people are parking on lawns or in ditches in the area.
“It has become particularly congested there,” Lebsack said.
The reason for the increased parking in that area is because many have come to realize it is free, and no permits are required, according to Lebsack.
This is the only change planned for the 2019 summer season, which Town Council approved at the Nov. 13 meeting.
Other than the one change, Town staff are calling the second year of the program another success.
The Town expected the program to bring in a revenue of $200,000, when in reality it brought in more than $48,000 than the projected revenue. In total the program generated a total of $248,382 in revenue.
The average cost per session was down from the first year, but the number of sessions increased in 2018 from 2017.
The highest number of users of the program was in July, with August following closely behind.
September had the least amount of traffic through the program, followed by May.
“Although our average cost per session was down compared to last it didn’t effect our bottom line as we were able to see more people coming through and using the terminals,” said Lebsack.
The revenue from the Visitor Pay Parking Program goes into the Parks Capital Reserve to pay back the borrowed amount for terminals and signs. If revenue remains high as it has for the last two year, the Town expects the borrowed amount will be paid back in roughly two years.
The Visitor Pay Parking Program is in effect daily, from May 15 to Sept. 15.
Visitors to Sylvan Lake pay $2 per hour, $10 per day, or have the option of purchasing a seasonal pass for $126.50.
The Town introduced the program in 2017 as a way to generate revenue for general upkeep and maintenance of the downtown area, as well as enhancing enforcement required along the waterfront.
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