Bill Graham / The Meridian StarOne lone vehicle, covered in dust and with a flat tire, sits in the reserved spots on the second floor of the underutilized parking garage in downtown Meridian. 

Though parking at the city-owned Arts District Parking Garage in downtown Meridian comes at no cost to motorists, less than 25 percent of its spaces are filled on most weekdays. 

Business owners along Front Street have asked the City Council to consider adding more parking in downtown, while the council waits for LPK Architects to finish a master plan before addressing the issue.

On Facebook, stories from The Meridian Star related to downtown frequently receive lamentations about the shortage of parking and the need to plan for the anticipated influx of visitors to the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience. 

The city garage has just less than 450 parking spaces, with 50 of those spots reserved by two local businesses, 25 each for Trustmark Bank and AT&T, and six reserved for Lauderdale County.

Some motorists appear to use the garage as storage, leaving dusty cars with flat tires in these same spots for months. 

Most of the reserved spots are frequently empty, save for one or two cars. One passing bank employee said she used the parking garage during the summer months to keep her car cool, but parked on the street in the winter because she felt the garage was too dark.

Archie Anderson, the local president of Trustmark Bank, said the bank had reserved spots previously after giving up a small parking lot for the parking garage’s construction.

During that time, street parking was strictly enforced and the parking garage became an appealing option.

“With the parking plan (in the city) at the time, there was an incentive to park in assigned spots as opposed to parking on the street and moving your car to avoid the meter maid,” Anderson said.

Now, Anderson said bank employees use a mix of street parking and the garage, perhaps even parking in spots that aren’t formally assigned to Trustmark.

“We’ve got a little of both,” Anderson said.

Threefoot redevelopment

The redevelopment of the Threefoot Building into a Courtyard by Marriott is expected to increase garage usage.

Laura Carmichael, The City of Meridian’s Community Development Director, confirmed Friday that a leasing contract with the developer of the Threefoot project is still in place. 

Ascent Hospitality Management, LLC would lease 80 parking spaces over 10 years for $2,000 a month, with a 2 percent annual increase, under the agreement. Ascent will have the option to renew or extend the lease for an additional 10-year period.

The four organizations combined will take up 186 of the parking spots, roughly 42 percent of the parking spots, when the hotel begins operating.

The first floor, really only a half floor, is reserved for city employees, though city-owned vehicles can be seen throughout the entire building. This half also has a Meridian Police Department moped and small trolley. 

Dusty vehicles

Over the course of the week, a daily visit to the parking garage yielded an average count of 93 cars each day, with a low of 79 and a high of 117.

Most cars used the second floor or third floor, with less than a dozen cars on each of the upper 2 1/2 levels. 

Some spots appeared to be used for storing vehicles.

By The Numbers

By The Numbers

The Meridian Star measured walking times from the city parking garage to points around the city. Here are the results:

Within one minute: City Hall, Temple Theater.

Two minutes: Threefoot Building.

Four minutes: MSU-Riley Center.

Six minutes: Weidmann’s Restaurant, Lauderdale County Courthouse.

Seven minutes: Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience.

Eight minutes: Anderson Regional Medical Center.

10 minutes: Union Train Station.

12 minutes: Jimmie Rodgers/ Meridian Railroad Museum.

One neglected vehicle, a Mitsubishi Montero Sport, has a flat tire, spider webs on the mirrors, a (Mayor) Percy Bland sticker on the back and a thick layer of dust.

Other dusty vehicles included a few cars with antique license plates, including a rusty Oldsmobile Cutlass and a Ford LTD Crown Victoria, as well as a Maserati and a Corvette.

A two-axle trailer, on the third floor, has deflated tires on rusty rims. 

Carmichael didn’t know who might be storing their vehicle’s in the garage, but said the garage typically fills up during City Hall events, State Games of Mississippi or during shows at the MSU Riley Center or Temple Theater.

Thursday, April 12, the busiest day at the garage in the period monitored, coincided with a local event by the Meridian Symphony Association. 

One call

While safety may be a concern for some, Meridian Police Sgt. Dareall Thompson reported only one call at the downtown parking garage in the last five years.

Four young men, two juveniles and two adults, broke into a car parked in the garage on Jan. 14.

Following their arrests on Jan. 18, Thompson said the cameras helped detectives capture a car tag that led to the identification of the four individuals.

Nearly half of the parking garage’s bulbs are burned out. Carmichael said the city plans to replace the older bulbs with new fluorescent lighting.

Most floors have at least two cameras, for a total of 15 cameras, including one in the stairwell near the Temple Theater and one in the first-floor hallway near the MSU-Riley Center.

Taking a walk

With the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience scheduled to open at the end of April, and parking a serious concern, city officials have opted to turn to the underutilized garage and ask visitors to make the 7-minute walk.

“We hope that with the opening (of the Max) and all of the other great ventures to come, it’ll encourage people to walk even more,” Carmichael said.

Carmichael emphasized the garage’s central location, security cameras and shade provided during the summer months.

“It really enhances and supports the downtown area,” Carmichael said. “It helps support businesses by keeping (street) spots open.”

As the fate of parking remains uncertain in downtown Meridian, pending the arrival of The Max and possible return of the trolley, Carmichael stressed that parking at the garage remained free. 

“Which I think is definitely an advantage because a lot of communities don’t have free parking,” Carmichael said. “In larger cities, people are accustomed to parking in garages and walking.”