Public parking grows by 18 spots

The spaces were addded after the demolition of the former Unikote Building at 18 W. Antietam Street.

November 29, 2002

HAGERSTOWN - The number of public parking places in downtown Hagerstown has increased by 18 with the opening of a parking lot adjacent to the Washington County District Court building, City Engineer Rodney Tissue said Wednesday.

The Hagerstown City Council on June 19 approved a $69,621 contract to demolish the former Unikote Building at 18 W. Antietam St. and construct an 18-space parking lot in its place. Unikote is now at 353 N. Cannon Ave.

The improvements, which were substantially completed this week, were funded with city and county money, city Finance Director Alfred Martin said.

The city is referring to the lot as the West Antietam Street parking lot.

The lot has two-hour parking meters. Parking is free after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

The City Council in April voted unanimously to buy the property and one-story building for $119,000 from Vincent Groh. The acquisition was paid for with federal funds that the city oversees, Tissue said.

The improvement is good news because it provides more parking in the area of the city that needs it most, Tissue said Wednesday.

"I think it is an excellent idea," Sarah Ardinger, owner of The Plum, a downtown restaurant, said Wednesday.

State officials asked the city to build the parking lot to provide parking spaces for people going to the courthouse and downtown businesses, Mayor William M. Breichner said.

The city has 431 metered parking spaces in lots in downtown Hagerstown, not including the 18 new spaces, city Treasurer Stephen Wolfensberger said Wednesday.

The city has 401 metered spaces on streets in downtown Hagerstown and the city parking deck has 401 spaces, he said.

Those numbers do not include 127 spaces near Washington County Hospital, he said.

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