YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Parking Garage

Police disperse skaters at garage

January 11, 2008|TODD KLEFFMAN

Danville police responded to the first call concerning the downtown parking garage Wednesday night.

"It's already started," said Assistant Chief Tony Gray.

It turned out to be no big deal. A group of "curious" skateboarders were checking out the new facility, which officially opens Monday. The juveniles were dispersed because skateboarding is not allowed in the structure, Gray said.

"I think we're going to have skateboarding issues that we will continually have to monitor, at least for a while," he said.

Gray doesn't believe the parking structure will become a magnet for any kind of serious criminal activity.

There are likely to be some occasional thefts, as there are in most large parking lots, and teens might be tempted to congregate there because it is shielded from public view, Gray said.

"I'm not aware of them being much of a problem in other cities that have parking garages," he said. "You have to take normal precautions. Just because it's an enclosed parking garage, don't leave your car unlocked."

Free parking after 5 p.m.

The garage will charge for parking between 5 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The entry gate from Third Street will be open after hours and on weekends, when parking is free.

Parking enforcement officer Ed Dubravcak will maintain an office in the parking structure, and security cameras will be installed soon to monitor the facility, said Brigette Milby, Danville's director of code enforcement.

"Ed will be a presence there, but he'll still be making his normal rounds on the streets downtown," Milby said.

There also is a call box located near the entry gate for customers to report any troubles. Calls will be routed to Dubravcak or dispatch, depending on their nature and time of day, Milby said.

Gray said Danville officers will make routine patrols through the facility after hours and on weekends.

"There's a potential for some of that congregating, but we're taking a positive view," Milby said. "We've mostly got pretty good kids in Danville, and we hope that everyone will be respectful of our new parking garage."

|

|

|