New system, charges for Rockville Centre commuter lot

Saying it is bowing to budget constraints, the Village of Rockville Centre will now charge resident commuters $4 a day starting Oct. 4 to park in the Front Street lot, the only municipal parking field not owned by the village.

“We decided that we needed to renew the 10-year lease with St. Agnes in order to continue to provide sufficient commuter parking near the railroad station,” said Village Administrator Frank Quigley. “But we had to find a cost-neutral way to do it.”

The pending lease expiration was thoroughly discussed during the preparation of the 2011 budget, Quigley said. “We concluded that the commuters need access to that lot, but also that the village could not continue to lose money on the lease,” he said.

Two meter consoles that accept credit cards and coins have been installed at the entrance to the lot and all parking spaces have now been numbered. The new consoles operate like the consoles in the municipal lots for shopper parking: commuters will enter the number of their parking space, pay the fee and receive a receipt. Receipts are for proof of payment and do not need to be displayed in the vehicle.

According to the terms of the agreement, the village will pay St. Agnes between $62,750 and $68,500 a year over the next 10 years for use of the lot.

The village renovated and leased the lot in 2000 in order to ease the demand for parking near the railroad station. There are 96 spaces in the Front Street lot and about 950 commuter spaces in the 11 other municipal lots nearest the station.