As a resident of downtown East Fourth Avenue, I was not pleased to learn that some feel I should pay a fee to park in front of my own house – or my whole block, to be more accurate. The public streets of this town have always been the shared domain of all the residents and guests of this town and should remain so.

Geez, let’s just gate off East Third and Fourth avenues if we’re that special. The parking problem is because our downtown does not have enough parking spaces to accommodate the much-increased activity and the staff needed to serve at the various establishments. It’s only going to get worse when the federal courts move into the courthouse.

Recognizing this, I think the cost of running a permit program should fall upon either the downtown business community as part of the cost of running their businesses or on all the citizens collectively. The parking problem has not always been as bad as this, and it’s not that the residents have changed their parking habits.

What has changed is the amount of activity that is taking place downtown. Am I against a permit program? Not necessarily, although this problem doesn’t really exist on my particular block.

What I am against is being required to pay a fee to park on my own block. I ask that the city take careful consideration before asking the residents of a particular residential neighborhood to pay an extra fee for the privilege to live there.

Tom Hubertus

Durango