Groton – Groton City is considering installing parking kiosks to raise money and prevent people who work downtown from parking all day on residential streets.

Under a proposal outlined to the City Council, parking pay stations would be set up on the blocks around Electric Boat and Thames Street, said David Holler, regional sales manager for Indianapolis-based T2 Systems, which makes the kiosks.

Company representatives toured the area with city police and recommended 34 kiosks, or roughly one per block. Streets could include West Elderkin, Mumford, Nicholas and Ledyard avenues; Bishop Lane; Triton Place and Chapman Street.

The parking fee has not been determined, but the company suggested a fee of $5 per car, per day. Kiosks could be programmed to allow a certain amount of parking for free or a different fee arrangement, company representatives said.

Under the proposal, drivers would be asked to punch their license plate digits at a kiosk, then pay for parking using bills, coins or a credit card. The system could also be set up to notify drivers by text message when their parking time was about to expire.

Officers enforcing parking would have hand-held devices that show which plates have expired parking, which are about to expire and which still have time.

Tim Boulay, communications director for Electric Boat, said Friday there are enough spaces for employees in company lots so they don't have to park on the street.

"We have been notified that metered parking may be installed on streets around the Electric Boat facility in Groton," he said.

The City Council expects to hear from another vendor with another parking proposal in the coming weeks. Mayor Marian Galbraith said the city is exploring the issue but doesn't know whether it will go ahead with it.

The city saw revenues fall this year, and is reviewing all its fees to determine if changes can bring in more money. Groton City's grand list dropped 7.5 percent, interest income is expected to decline, and health care costs rose.

Groton City would collect $441,000 from paid parking the first year and kiosks would cover their cost in less than one year, company representatives said. The units would cost $234,000 to $380,000, City Police Chief Tom Davoren said.

Galbraith said the city has tried "residential parking only" signs and stickers for residents, but the parking problem persists. If the city limits parking to two hours, officers now must drive through to see who is parked there, then drive back through two hours later and note if the same car remains.

Davoren said it's unfair that some people pay to park while others leave their cars all day on the street, taking space away from those who live there, he said.

"I see it as an equalizer," Davoren said, "An opportunity to be fair with people so you get what you pay for."

The kiosks, which are in use in Old Lyme and in Middletown, could be programmed to allow payments by coupon or by phone, and could be set up to pay by space rather than license plate. Businesses could also be given one-time codes that they could pass on to customers to provide free parking for a certain amount of time, the company said.

Danielle Curcuro, who owns Danielle's Barber Shop on Thames Street, said she's against the plan. She serves many older residents who won't swipe a credit card at a parking kiosk, she said. They're too worried about giving away personal information, she said.

"And here's the other thing. It's such a historical area, I don't know why they'd want to put these ATM-looking things out (there). They're huge," she said.

The city took down the one-hour parking signs on Thames Street when they worked on the road, she said. Instead of spending money on kiosks, the city should re-post the signs and hire someone to enforce them, she said.

Dwaine Rugh lives on Thames Street and owns the rental property that includes the barber shop, which is across from Electric Boat's north gate. He sold both properties last week because he said he's tired of city politics.

Rugh said the city could post signs which say: "No EB Shift Parking, Violators Will Be Fined $25." If that doesn't work, it could hire a  retired, part-time employee to walk the streets three weekdays and ticket every car without residential or tenant plates, Rugh said.

The city knows where the problem is and when it is, he said.

"If you're going to put these parking meters out, these guys are going to scatter and park further away and not pay," he said. "And even if they park anyway and don't pay, who's going to enforce it? They're not enforcing it now."      

Parking kiosks will just cost money to maintain and won't work, he said.

"They're not thinking about this," he said. "It's just like Thames Valley (Communications). All they're thinking about is the money, and look what happened? It ended up costing them their shirt."

d.straszheim@theday.com

@DStraszheim