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Life is full of little hassles. It’s always nice when one goes away, even if it’s onlytemporary.
A little hassle folks deal with in downtown La Grande is the need to keep an eye on the clock when they’re doing their shopping. Many have painfully learned that the two-hour time limit on parking in the main business area weekdays and Saturdays is strictly enforced. The tickets are spendy, $12 a pop.
But for at least some of the time this holiday season, downtown shoppers were able to relax and enjoy themselves. That’s because the City of La Grande suspended the time limit on Fridays through Christmas.
Union County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Judy Hector deserves some credit for this. She saw a need and took action.
Hector went to City Manager Robert Strope and asked him if he could do something about the parking situation, something that would make downtown a more attractive shopping option during the holiday season.
In the commodious parking lots of competing stores on the city’s fringe, after all, there is no time limit. That puts downtown businesses at a disadvantage.
Strope responded in a positive way. Reviewing the local parking ordinance, he discovered he has the authority to issue special permits. He took that to mean he could issue a blanket permit for everyone to park as long as they want downtown on Fridays. That he did.
Some might consider it a small gesture, but it helped everyone, merchants and shoppers alike, to get the most out of the holiday season.
The city has been grappling with downtown parking issues for a long time now and continues to look for ways to make things more convenient. Alas, for as long as there are people willing to hog the limited parking spaces, there will be a need for governance.
There are no immediate plans to permanently change the rules, but the quest for a more user-friendly downtown continues. What the city learns from easing the restriction on
holiday-season Fridays will be taken into account as debate continues.
Whatever happens, local residents this season had a golden chance that one day of the week to go slow and savor the many delights downtown has to offer.
We applaud Hector for initiating the idea, and the city for following through.
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Opinion 
