SALEM — The South Harbor parking garage is a hotbed of vandalism, fights and public urination, Derby Lofts residents told city councilors last night.
One by one, the downtown condo owners traded stories about being the victims of vandalism or encountering drunks on the way to their cars inside the Derby Street garage.
"I don't feel safe going into that garage," said resident Marlene Faust, who found the window of her Toyota Corolla smashed and a knife inside. "It's very scary."
"I refuse to let my wife go into that garage on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night after 10," said Darryl Sanders, whose Jeep was vandalized last week.
Sanders told councilors the garage has serious crime problems with reports of fighting, vomiting and public urination on customers' cars.
"That parking area is a nightmare," Sanders said.
Angered Derby Lofts residents, many of whom pay $500 to park in the garage, urged the city to employ staff year-round and jack up security.
City councilors are considering a plan to lease 26 parking spaces inside the garage for $1,200 apiece, which would guarantee a resident a spot 24 hours a day. Even though they pay for a year-round pass, Derby Lofts residents often have trouble finding a spot during snow emergencies, Halloween and the Fourth of July when the garage is filled to capacity, they said.
Derby Lofts resident Maryann Blatsos couldn't find a spot three times during recent snow emergencies, so she's refusing to pay for the pass out of protest.
"I have to pay for a pass I can't use," Blatsos said. "I'm willing to pay $1,200 for a parking space, but I expect to be safe, the elevators to work ... and I expect the space to be there."
Mayor Kim Driscoll told residents the city would sit down with police to address safety issues, possibly installing guards and security cameras that send a live feed to the police station.
"It's something we want to make sure we're taking seriously," Driscoll said.
Parking Director Jim Hacker said he pulled the police log for the last year and found just three car break-ins reported. He said Salem's garage isn't the only area that has faced its share of crime.
"This is a North Shore issue," he said.
The 26 leased spaces would raise approximately $30,000 in revenues. But the money was already incorporated into the city budget, which city councilors passed last month. That could leave the city in a jam if the council rejects the plan or if the parking spaces don't sell.
Councilors will take up the matter again at a later date.
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