Mesa library plans 3-hour parking time limit

You’ve probably seen those white-and-red “Library Patrons Only” signs in the Mesa Public Library parking lot downtown. Soon, they also could sport a three-hour time limit.

Mesa’s city code is undergoing a change to pull off the time limit. On Monday, the City Council is likely to approve the process for it to start.

“What? Sometimes people need to spend time here, researching and stuff. How can you limit parking hours for people?” resident Sandra Petti said Thursday morning as she waited outside for the library to open.

In fact, there is a time limit right now, according to the city code. It’s even shorter, at two hours, but it’s not currently enforced. That’s because in 2000, the two-hour notice was removed as patrons felt it wasn’t enough time for them to spend in the library, said library director Heather Wolf.

But Wolf said this year, especially during special events such as summer reading programs, employees have noticed the lot being packed, with people circling and looking for a parking space.

There is a parking garage on Centennial Way, but people either don’t realize that’s an option or find it too cumbersome to walk from there, especially families with strollers and young children, Wolf added.

The problem, city officials say, is that people visiting downtown and some who work downtown park their vehicles outside the library all day long because of its convenience.

According to the Downtown Mesa Association, the group that handles parking enforcement downtown, postal workers tend to park their vehicles there even though they have their own earmarked space in the Centennial garage nearby, but it’s a longer walk for them.

“It could be other businesses in the area that don’t have adequate parking for their employees,” said Derrick Bailey, Mesa’s senior transportation engineer.

So the library has requested that the two-hour limit in the city code be removed and a new time limit determined. On Monday, the council is expected to approve striking the twohour limit for the new limit to become enforceable. The city library board will decide that later this month, and the revised limit could show up on sign boards in October.

As for enforcement, Downtown Mesa Association president Tom Verploegen said it’s not going to be a “gotcha”-type program.

“We’ll give them an hour’s grace period, leave a warning note the next day and only ticket a repeat offender the third day,” he said. The fine is $27.

Anyone needing more time to spend at the library could get a special pass, Verploegen said.

Bailey said at this point he didn’t know how many signs would be changed and at what cost, if any.

Two residents visiting the library Thursday afternoon said they had never had problems finding parking.

“Personally it’s never been a problem for me,” said Chris Kile, but added it could be a problem during special events.

Ruiz Cordova said a three-hour limit would not be a hassle because he only visits for

“no more than two hours.”

One resident remembered the time her husband got a ticket after he spent an entire day at the library studying for an exam.

“I remember, he said, ‘Claudia, I was in the library all day and I didn’t even realize there’s a limit, I actually got a ticket!”

That Claudia was former Vice Mayor Claudia Walters.