Massena Exiting Private Lot

MASSENA - In downtown's heyday of department stores, restaurants and a movie theater, the village began maintaining a privately owned parking lot behind storefronts on Main and Andrews streets.

That maintenance is about to end next month, leaving the four property owners who leased the lot to decide its future.

Earlier this month, a couple of business owners near the lot held a meeting with Mayor James F. Hidy and Police Chief Timmy J. Currier about quality of life issues.

Curran E. Wade, owner of WYBG Radio, said some downtown bar patrons had been leaving a mess overnight near his business and others and in the parking lot.

"All we did was go over and discuss the problem we were having," Mr. Wade said.

Mr. Hidy said he initially pledged the village would beef up police patrols at the lot after the meeting. He changed his mind once the lease renewal for village maintenance came across his desk.

"I didn't know at the time that this was not a municipal parking lot until I was approached with the lease and that is the God's honest truth," he said. "Once I learned it was a private parking lot, we were not going to do that."

The village was not going to police a privately owned lot, Mr. Hidy said. It will be up to the property owners to figure out who can and cannot use the lot.

"That's their problem. I don't have a dog in that hunt," he said. "We have nothing to do with that."

The owners of Clopman's Furniture, Auggie's Speedway Inn, the vacant Massena School of Business building and World Class Gym & Fitness Center received letters dated Jan. 20 informing them the village was not renewing its parking lot maintenance lease. As of Feb. 20, it will be up to them to figure out how to proceed with the parking lot's upkeep and access.

The owners had not been paying extra fees for the village to maintain the lot, which includes space for over three dozen cars. A "public parking" sign sits at the lot's Andrews Street entry point. The Massena Volunteer Fire Department, the Delmar Sportsmen's Tavern and Amvets Post 4 are among nearby establishments who utilize the parking but do not own it.

Mr. Hidy said the village no longer wanted to incur the liability of the lot it had started maintaining in 1967. Parking is no longer at a premium like it once was downtown, he said.

A woman at one point broke her wrist in the lot and received a cash settlement from the village, he said.

"The village is not liable for the paper cups. They're not liable for the broken glass," Mr. Hidy said. "It's up to the individual store owners to police that area. It should be up to them to form a business association where they can, as good neighbors, help each other out."

Tim Alguire, who own's Auggie's and Friar Tuck's bars, said the downtown property owners are exploring several options.

"Blocking it off is on option," he said. "It'll be a private parking lot. It will no longer be a public parking lot."

The lot is often full, depending on the time of day, he said. Businesses with and without ownership of the lot have been discussing the decision together, he said.

"We're going to stick together and go to the board meeting," he said. "We're all going to show up and see what we can do."

The Feb. 20 deadline also means the owners will have to figure who will pay for the lot's snow plowing.

"Maybe it won't be plowed. That will keep people out," Mr. Alguire said. "I'd be all for that if I was stuck with it."

World Class owner Holly E. Vari said she does not see how the public will be able to continue using the lot. The liability now shifts from the village to the property owners.

"They're going to have to park across the road or something until we can figure out what we're going to do," he said. "They're not going to be able to use it because of liability reasons ... It's just a big mess."

Delmar's owner Dave P. Zwyghuizen said about 80 percent of his customers use the lot.

"There is hardly any parking downtown,' he said. "I don't think anyone knows for sure what's going to happen."

Clopman's manager Frank Catapano said the four owners had not yet come to any decision.

"There is a certain onus on us as property owners to review, with the benefit of legal counsel, how we can conduct ourselves to provide parking for our patrons since it's no longer considered a public parking area," Mr. Catapano said. "I think the common goal is to provide parking for our patrons."

The village provided no explanation as to why it was stopping a service it had been providing for almost 45 years, Mr. Catapano said.

"It's hard to respond to a vacuum," he said. "I'm hopeful we can come to some agreement on how to deal with it."

Massena Volunteer Fire Chief Thomas C. Miller said the change could affect his department in ways other than parking restrictions. The World Class property extends all the way to the Grasse River and runs adjacent to the firehouse. The fire department maintains a storage shed and chicken barbecue pit on the World Class property without issue.

The village ending its maintenance of the area calls that into question. Mr. Miller plans to meet with the village board's fire committee as soon as possible.

"It's going to be up to them how they let us use it," he said of the lot. "It's definitely going to affect the volunteers."