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County says downtown parking garage will close Aug. 11; commissioners discuss employee accommodations
Summary
Beaver County commissioners said the downtown parking garage will close Aug. 11 for the remainder of the year and discussed notification, impacts on courthouse visitors and employees with limited mobility, and possible mitigation steps; no final solution was approved.
Beaver County officials told the board on July 23 that the downtown parking garage will close on Aug. 11 and remain closed for the rest of the year, prompting discussion of notifications to neighbors, accommodations for employees with mobility limitations and jurors, and possible shuttle or alternate parking arrangements.
Commissioner Mann said the garage will be “closed officially on August 11 for, basically, the remainder of the year” and that letters and notifications to residents and nearby businesses were prepared. County staff said they would meet with impacted community members and help notify neighbors and stakeholders.
Board members and employees raised concerns about people who cannot walk long distances and asked whether the county could provide shuttles, reserved accessible spaces, or agreements with nearby lots or churches. “Is there been any consideration to those who may have disabilities within our employees and what we can do for them?” one employee asked. County staff responded that options are limited and that no single off-site lot is available; staff members said they had discussed several potential sites, including church lots and private parking, but that hiring and operating a shuttle introduces scheduling complications and cost.
Tammy, identified in the meeting as a county staffer, said the county does not have many employee handicap passes and estimated about six in use for staff, adding that departments will need to coordinate and show flexibility while the project is underway. The borough has been notified of the closure and county staff said they do not expect enforcement of short-term parking restrictions to cause immediate ticketing problems during the project, but acknowledged a wider ripple effect in surrounding neighborhoods.
No formal vote was recorded; commissioners said they will continue outreach and asked department heads to work with staff to identify employees with acute access needs so the county can try to accommodate them informally during the closure period.
