Friday, July 16, 1999
Parkers bumped by Reds game
BY JOHN ECKBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The ol' ballgame means a new pain in the neck for office workers accustomed to parking on lots near Cinergy Field.
Workers with prepaid riverfront parking are being told that they cannot use their spaces next Thursday because of the Reds' day game with home run king Mark McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Central Parking System told 1,500 drivers who pay $40 a month to park that while they are “valued customers,” ticket holders to the Reds' game had dibs on their spots.
“Due to the expected size of the crowd ... we will be required by contract to reserve the stadium garage and lots for baseball patrons only,” Leron Canup, project manager for Central Parking System, said in a flier. The company manages stadium lots for the Hamilton County commissioners.
It's yet another shot to downtown commuters confronted by skyrocketing costs and a parking space shortage caused by the Paul Brown Stadium construction.
Some parking lot users were outraged Thursday. “It is ridiculous,” said Lucy Davis, 35, of Taylor Mill. “It's another example of sports coming before the needs of working people.”
“It kind of stinks that I have to go out of my way to find a parking place,” said Jaime Marengo, 22, of Colerain Township.
Lots will open three hours before game time for ticket holders or those with baseball season passes. The flier suggested workers could park at Broadway Commons or in Covington. Riding a bus to work was another suggestion.
The move signals a change in policy by the team, Reds Managing Executive John Allen said. “It's in our lease (with Hamilton County) that we can do that,” he said Wednesday. “As far as I know, it's the first time it has been invoked.”
Jeff Jones, general manager of Central Parking System, said parkers have no right to spaces when there are special events, although officials in the past have charged the game-day rate at the gate to downtown workers.
While Mr. Allen expected a larger-than-usual crowd for the game, he said plenty of seats were still available.
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