News 12 at 11 o'clock -- March 8, 2010

AIKEN, S.C. -- The downtown Aiken parking situation has been a debate for months now, but the debate is over after an unanimous vote by the Aiken City Council to rescind the two-hour parking limits completely.

There were two plans to start out the evening, one offering limited parking in certain areas and the other, offering unlimited parking downtown.

After hearing several local business owners talk about the strain the limits have made for them in the tough economy, Mayor Fred Cavanaugh and the city council voted to lift the limit completely.

Bradley Czajka, owner of Oliva restaurant downtown called the city back open for business because of Monday night's ruling.

Before the ruling was handed down, one of the main concerns voiced was in relation to employers taking up customers parking spaces.

"If you don't have a customer, you don't have a business," said Lisa Castles, owner of York Cottage Antiques about employees parking in customer spaces. "And sooner or later they won't have a job."

Mary O'Hare Boscia of M.B. Jewelry and Beads is happy there isn't any limit, but said now it's time for businesses to watch their employees. She stated she is willing to fire one of her employees if they continue to park in customer spaces.

"It's never been a parking problem, it's an employee laziness problem," said O'Hare Boscia. "I don't need you(employees) because you're (employees) hurting downtown businesses as a whole."

Mayor Cavanaugh said the parking lift worked during the busiest time of the year, which is one reason he didn't understand why it wouldn't work all the time.

"Until I hear an answer to the question, If it was good for December," he said about them lifting the parking limits in December to help businesses. "Why isn't it good for the town?"

Without an answer, the answer to the two-hour limits became unlimited parking in all areas and business owners hope it means more money coming in.

The council also voted to add more handicap spaces downtown, along with removing the two-hour signs as early as Tuesday.

The council also plans on watching the effect the unlimited parking has on business over the next six months, council members said during the meeting.

In other business, the South Carolina Department of Transportation will be working on the new traffic lights in what they call, "Plan B."

SCDOT will be changing the timing on Park and Richland Streets to allow east and west traffic to run simultaneously, which is how it operated on the old timing schedule, according to a press release.

According to the SCDOT, the side street operations will have the new safety features that allow left turn motorists to continue through the intersection without stopping in the median.

The work is said to begin at the end of the day Tuesday, March 9th.

The Aiken City Council also approved a rate increase on their commercial garbage service. There will be a $1.40 increase from $5.20 to $6.60 for the cubic yard collection fee. The council will maintain the rate $48.27 for each service trip. Council members will take a look at it's effect in three months.