Residents seek gate for noisy Galloway ramp; downtown businesses urge caution on paid‑parking rollout

Residents and downtown business leaders used the June 9 meeting to press the city on two related issues: ongoing noise and safety concerns at the Galloway Street parking ramp and an anticipated downtown paid‑parking program that business groups say lacks essential operational details.

Deb Marshall, who identified herself as chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and a resident at 315 Riverfront Terrace, told council that efforts to reduce ramp noise — closing a level and adding speed bumps — had not solved the problem and that noise from motorcycles, trucks and loud music had returned. Marshall urged the city to include capital funding for a controlled gate system that would restrict access to people parking there for legitimate downtown trips. "The only real solution is going to be [a] controlled gate entrance that people are going in and parking for the reason that they're there," she said, and invited council members to observe the ramp during an evening.

Business groups warned council that a paid‑parking rollout without the operational backbone would harm small businesses and customers. Erin Klaus, executive director of Downtown Eau Claire Incorporated, said the city's downtown parking study recommended paid parking for turnover in high‑demand areas but also stressed that the city needs a dedicated staff person or department to oversee implementation, enforcement and communications. Klaus listed unanswered questions that, she said, remained for businesses and customers: which payment app or kiosks would be used, whether kiosks would accept cash, who will manage enforcement, and where revenue will go.

"If we only act on pieces of the recommendation that would generate revenue, while ignoring the essential structural elements like staffing, infrastructure, and communication, then we're setting ourselves up for failure," Klaus said.

Dave Strobel, a South Barstow property owner and member of the South Barstow Business Improvement District executive committee, urged the council to “embrace all of the parking study” including enforcement and to keep parking revenue transparent and spent downtown for maintenance, enforcement and awareness. He asked staff to provide clearer answers about enforcement schedules and how ramp revenue will be tracked and used.

Staff previously told council that the CIP presentation includes consideration of the downtown ramp (demolition estimated at $2 million–$3 million and replacement estimated around $14 million) and that a work session on parking is scheduled for the coming week. Director Winters said a parking work session will occur tomorrow night and again noted a June 13 deadline for amendment language to be published ahead of the June 24 CIP adoption vote.

Why this matters: unresolved operational questions about paid parking — enforcement, staffing, revenue allocation and customer experience — affect small businesses' downtown foot traffic and customer service. Separately, unresolved noise and safety issues at the ramp affect livability for adjacent residents and may require capital investment.

What’s next: staff scheduled a dedicated parking work session; council members and business leaders said they want formal responses on staffing, enforcement hours, kiosk/app details and revenue tracking before implementation. Residents asked council to consider capital funding for physical controls at the ramp to address nighttime noise and safety.