Parking big issue for local business owners

Local business owners are starting to protest the lack of parking on the courthouse square.
Dorothy Harper, owner of Javamotion, placed moveable signs in front of three parking spaces in front of her business in an effort to give her customers a place to park.
“Our computer showed us that we did $1,000 more in business last week (since the signs were instal

led) than we had ever done in any given week,” Harper said.
She said that she had been working with city officials to try to come up with a solution to the parking problem.
The problem for businesses and shop owners around the square is the district court system.
“On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when there is court, there is no place to park,” Sybil Kaigler said earlier.
Kaigler has long had a sign in front of her business to try and reserve one parking space for her customers. “People can’t get into my store to shop.”
Carmen A. Ruales, owner of The Jewel of Lockhart said she doesn’t hear a lot of complaints about parking from her customers, but that some of her neighbors’ employees take up much of the parking near her business.
“They could park off the square and walk a block to work. That would be better,” Ruales said.
Other companies around town have put up temporary signs to try to reserve parking, but city officials say that they violate city ordinances.
Public Works Director Vance Rogers said the city has scheduled a meeting for Friday to come up with solutions to the parking problems.
“If businesses agreed to leave the parking spots on the outside of the square open it would solve most of the problem,” Rogers said. “But on Tuesday I counted 19 business owners or their employees who were parked along the outside of the square. And those are just the ones I know.”
Rogers said they will be talking to churches around the square about using their parking lots, as well.
Rogers said he has talked with the judge about the jury day problems and will be working on ideas to come up with solutions.
Harper said she is not trying to fight city hall, “ I am just trying to save my business.”