Those beach parking passes will be a little more useful than expected.
Beachgoers -- or anyone else with the permit -- will now be able to
use their pass to park in the Main Promenade Parking Structure after the
City Council approved the measure at its meeting Monday night.
Passholders can park in the structure from its opening at 8 a.m. until
5 p.m. seven days a week. The deal will last until improvement work at
the south beach parking lots is complete, which is set for May 2002, said
Steve Benson, the city's parking and camping supervisor.
Right now, beach passes cost $100 -- $25 for people 62 and older.
After Labor Day the price drops to $35, although the senior's price will
stay the same.
In 2002, the passes will decrease in price to $75, but will increase
to $50 for seniors.
Director of Community Services Ron Hagan said the 2002 price changes
will attempt to alleviate any cheating, while still giving seniors a
discount.
"People come down and buy passes for their kids [and/or] grandkids and
abuse the senior-pass privilege," Hagan said.
The passes are good at all city beach lots, Pier Plaza lots and all
recreational metered lots, but are not good at state beach lots.
The city will begin to post signs in the parking structures and pass
out flyers to people that have passes to inform them of the change.
Passholders will get a sticker to affix in their window.
The city began construction of the first of two phases of the south
beach improvement on June 1. The parking lot between Beach Boulevard
north to Huntington Street, which contains 650 parking spaces, is closed
until April 2002 during the work's first phase.
During the second phase, about 350 spaces will be unavailable from
October 2002 to January 2004. It won't begin until the first one is
finished.
The Main Promenade Parking Structure is located at 200 Main St.
Director of Communications Rich Barnard said the structure gets most
of its use after 5 p.m.
City to begin requiring restaurant grease traps
The City Council has agreed to follow several of the findings
presented in an Orange County Grand Jury investigation that targeted
grease and oil discharged from restaurants and high-density residential
areas as the leading causes of sewage spills and clogged water pipes.
Director of Communications Rich Barnard emphasized that the issue
needs to concern the whole county and not just a particular city.
"It's a good thing for the Orange County Health Department and the
