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President's Message
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Greetings SWPA Members -
Next month the International Parking Institute will hold its annual conference and trade show, Expanding The Synergy of Technology, in Tampa, Florida (May 20th-23rd). If you are not familiar with IPI or their annual conference I would highly recommend that you spend some time browsing their website at www.parking.org, they are a wonderful organization and provide tremendous value to the parking industry.
IPI has a great program set up this year, as they always do. Educational sessions span from CAPP certification classes to sessions that provide tips on the RFP process. In addition to the multitude of education sessions, there will be close to 200 vendors showcasing their products.
Backing up to the month of April, we held our first annual Scholarship Golf Classic on April 19th and it was a huge success! It doesn't get much better than 79 degrees with no wind. I would personally like to thank this years sponsors, without their support this event would not have happened. This year's sponsors were MacKay Meters, Advanced Parking Solutions, Guardian Traffic Systems, T2 Systems Inc., American Valet, Phoenix Coyotes, Game Day Management Group, and Automated Access Systems Inc.
I look forward to seeing you on the links next year!
Jim Sayre
President |
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Parking In The News
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Parking added to student fees for
2007-'08 school year
By Ainslee S. Wittig/Arizona Range News, April 12th, 2007
Students who want to park in the school parking lots will soon pay a fee and have an assigned spot.
The Willcox School Board last Tuesday approved the student activity fees for the 2007-'08 school year, which includes a $5 fee for parking at school.
Dr. Don Roberts, superintendent of Willcox schools, said "We want to have some control and knowledge of who's on campus. The students will pay the $5 fee and get a sticker, which will give them the privilege of parking in an assigned parking spot. Seniors will have first choice in spots, then juniors, and then a handful of sophomores. The district leased the parking lot across the street from the school on Bisbee Avenue from the Assembly of God Church and Trinity Lutheran Church.
"The parking lot will be considered school property and school rules apply. Now we or the police will be able to take the actions necessary to maintain order. Before, the churches were the only ones who could file charges," Roberts said.
He said the school will blade and gravel the parking lot (not pave it) and add concrete parking bumpers with numbers on them for assigned parking. It will also be fenced, with a large entrance on Pearce Street and a walk-through opening on Bisbee Avenue.
Roberts said students will need a state-recognized drivers license and insurance to be able to park on school property.
Students may purchase another sticker for $2.50 to be used for another family vehicle if they need to switch cars.
Roberts said the school currently doesn't know if the students have licenses or insurance, and "we have trouble with unwelcome teenage visitors. We hope that this will give us some control."
"This is going to be some work for someone to enforce this, isn't it?" asked board member Mike Moss. "What are we going to do when someone says, there's a junior in my spot?"
Roberts said, "We've always had patrols of the parking lot. And the students will tell us if someone is in their space. We hope this adds order to a chaotic situation."
Principal Joel Todd said "it may be some work setting it all up (parking spots, etc.), but it should help us keep some order."
Also at the school board meeting, Roberts said that on the 100th day of school, district enrollment was down 30 students from the same time last year, causing concern over loss of state revenue due to decreasing enrollment. However, he said, as of April 2, there was an increase of 28 students over the same time last year, with a current enrollment of 1,396 students.
"It may not bite us as badly as we thought," Roberts told the board.
Another big issue facing the district as the new school year approaches is staffing, Roberts said.
Seven teachers have not returned contracts for next year as of April 9, which is beyond the March 26 deadline for receiving an early signing bonus of $335, Roberts said.
The teachers have until April 15 to do so, and then the contracts are voided, he said.
If these seven do not return, added to 11 existing teaching vacancies currently know, the school district will be looking for 18 teachers for the 2007-'08 school year, which is less than the 22 open positions last year.
"There is a lot of mobility going on around the county. And because of the stress level from the state and feds' unwillingness to bend rules, people are bowing out of education. And. some are moving to other locations for personal reasons," Roberts said, adding, "It's still hard to replace these people."
Todd said, "Our biggest need is housing. We can have a great interview and everything going well, and they ask, where can I live? And we just have to say, 'you need to look around.'
"We can use all the help we can get from the community. If they have a place to rent (or sell), please call us," Todd said. Call 384-4214 or 384-4211. |
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SWPA Member News
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Linda Riegel
 After more than 16 years of dedicated leadership for Parking and Transit Services at Arizona State University, as well as for the entire ASU community, PTS director Linda Riegel has retired.
Linda held the position of director of Parking and Transit Services since October 1990. During that time, she oversaw the program as it grew from a small, ad hoc department with 35 employees and a five-vehicle fleet to a full-scale, professional business operation that boasts the latest technology in all facets of the parking industry.
Prior to her employment at PTS, Linda served in the U.S. Army Military Police. In August 2002, while working as director of PTS, Linda was called up for active reserve duty. What was to be a one-year commitment was extended to two years, as she was assigned to work for the United States Department of Defense Criminal Investigations Task Force. The committee’s headquarters were in
Washington
,
D.C.
; however, Linda spent time in
Afghanistan
,
Iraq
and
Guantanamo
where task force elements were investigating alleged acts of terrorism and selected war crimes against
U.S.
personnel. During her diligent service to our country, Linda had the distinct honor of being promoted to colonel.
The Wisconsin native is looking forward to spending time with family and friends, and admits she won't miss the one-hour commute from her home in Garden Lakes to work each day! In reflecting upon the 13 years of active duty she served in the Military Police, she realized that she spent more than half of those years away from her family.
"For so long, I've been telling family how much I love them and want to spend time with them. Now it's time for me to show them", Linda said.
Linda remarked that she enjoyed the challenges her career in parking presented and found satisfaction in being able to assist the customers and to find innovative ways to enhance the services of the department.
"It was never the same day twice," she said. "It wasn't about how things were, but how they could be."
Linda said the thing she will miss the most when her PTS career ends on March 30th will be her colleagues.
“I will miss them all, but I am leaving parking in good hands.”
Everyone at the Southwest Parking Association wishes Linda well in her retirement and appreciates all of her service and dedication to the parking industry and SWPA. We look forward to continuing to work with Linda on SWPA related events and activities and for her continued involvement on the SWPA board. Linda, best of luck to you and enjoy your 'non commute', we are all very jealous.
Ray Humbert
After 13 years with Standard Parking, most recently as the Director of Business Development, Ray Humbert has left Standard Parking and has joined the Parking and Transit Services organization at Arizona State University.
Ray has joined Arizona State University as the Associate Director of Operations at the Tempe campus. Ray started at ASU on April 16th, 2007 and will be responsible for overseeing parking operations, maintenance, and the Commuter Options (transit) program at ASU.
Everyone at the Southwest Parking Association would like to pass along our well wishes to Ray as he embarks on his new venture. We look forward to continuing to work with Ray on SWPA related events and activities. Ray, best of luck to you with your new opportunity at Arizona State University. |
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SWPA - Upcoming Event Information
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SWPA's Annual Conference and Trade Show 2007
will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 2nd - 4th, 2007, the week leading to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. But it's not just a bunch of hot air...it will be three days of the best educational programming for parking and transportation professionals in the southwest.
 We will enjoy golf at the University of New Mexico's Championship Golf Course, a Texas Hold 'Em Tournament, and dinner at the International Balloon Festival Museum - make your plans to join us!
A CAPP Seminar will also be offered at this conference and trade show. The seminar is yet to be determined. Please visit www.parking.org/seminar for more details regarding the CAPP seminar.
For hotel reservations and information, please visit the SWPA website, www.southwestparking.org, and click on the "Hilton Albuquerque" link on the conference information page. For additional conference information, please contact Josh Kavanagh at 505.277.9557 or jkavanagh@parking.unm.edu. Conference registration information will be available shortly on the website.
Sponsorship Information: If you are interested in being a sponsor for this event please contact Jim Sayre, President at (602) 543-3206 or Gabe Mendez, Treasurer at (480) 890-2613. There are many wonderful sponsorship opportunities still available and we appreciate the continued support from our sponsor organizations. |
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Technology News
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Find Parking With Your Cell Phone
By Tracy Staedter, Discovery News, March 30th, 2007
City parking can be a big hassle: The meters are always occupied and the garages expensive. And to make matters worse, there may be plenty of empty lots, but garages still have big, red "no parking" signs.
But soon, parking could be as easy as making a phone call. A San Francisco-based company has developed a system that uses wireless sensors, mobile phone technology and GPS to make parking convenient for drivers and cost effective for lot owners.
"I'm causing traffic and they're wasting land. There's got to be a better way," said Cooper Marcus, founder and CEO of Spark Parking, which launched in summer 2005 with the goal of making unsold parking spaces more economic to sell and existing parking space easier to manage.
"I just want cities and urban life to be better," said Marcus.
The core technology is based on wireless sensors affixed to or embedded beneath each parking space. The sensors have the simple capability of detecting whether a car is parked over them or not. (They are not capable of picking up other details that might compromise privacy.)
Like a little army of parking lot attendants, the sensors broadcast the "vacant" or "occupied" information to a base station nearby, which is connected to the Internet. The data travels through the network to Spark Parking's offices, where computer software compiles and organizes the information for a few different uses.
One use involves a pay-by-phone parking service. Here's how it works: a driver pulls into a sensor-equipped space that is assigned with a unique six-digit number. Instead of dealing with tickets, credit card machines, or a cash box designed to collect money, the driver makes a quick phone call.
During the call, she is asked for credit card information and zip code. Next she punches in the six-digit number of the parking space and is authorized to park. And since payment information is tied to her phone number, the next time she uses the lot or another Spark Parking-equipped area, all she will have to do is sent a text message that includes the number of the parking space.
Thanks to caller I.D., Spark Parking will recognize it's her.
The company is also working on a location-aware parking finder that uses the GPS available on a mobile phone to track a driver's position and then deliver detailed parking information about available parking areas, their location, prices, hours of operation, and -- miraculously -- the number of empty spaces.
If a driver pulls into a space without paying, Spark Parking will know and contact a lot attendant to issue a citation. This ability to manage a lot is another advantage to the system. In addition to tracking violators, the sensor network collects data such as what time the lot is most crowded, how long a car is parked, and whether and how often people break the rules. That information can help lot managers adjust fees, rules or personnel.
"Instead of doing a parking survey, you can get census-level data. That allows us to change the time limits and the number of staff at certain times," Brian Thompson, general manager of Northwest Parking Control in Portland, Ore., who has been testing Spark Parking technology in a lot in northwest Portland.
In addition to Portland, Spark Parking can be found in the San Francisco Bay area and could soon expand to other parts of California, Oregon and Arizona. |
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