YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Motorists

Parking palace: Plenty of spaces at Walnut and Third

January 15, 2008|EMILY TOADVINE

Earl Coffey, Danville city engineer, gave a little shine to the pennies on the top floor of the city's new parking garage when he gave a tour Friday. The $6.5 million facility opened Monday to the general public.

The 2007 pennies located on each side of the abutments leading to the fifth floor are Coffey's signature on the building. As he stopped to polish one, he said the idea came from when he built bridges.

"The first superintendent I ever worked with, he explained to me, 'Always put a penny in it for good luck - on heads -and the year you built it,'" he says as he looks around with pride at the almost finished garage.

Construction began in December 2006. Each of the five floors has 86 spaces and one handicapped spot. Some of the parking is reserved. The second floor mainly is for general public parking.

Reserved spots include 35 for Hub owners, 100 for Gilcher building owners, and 79 for visitors and staff at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center. Soon public buses also will roll out of the structure. They may take passengers to Frankfort or Lexington and have a couple of routes around town, according to city manager Paul Stansbury.

People using the Ambulatory Surgery Center will have a handy drop-off area on the first floor they can use before parking.

Coffey says the building is designed for two-way traffic, but signs direct traffic to flow left. Parking stalls are 81/2 feet wide, which is somewhat narrower than the 9-feet ones motorists parking at Wal-Mart encounter.

The top story is open-air, which allows people there to view downtown Danville.

"They get the penthouse," Coffey says.

This story also provides a good view down stairway B, which is not enclosed.

"It's kind of cool," Coffey says. "It's got a lot of ironwork in it."

* * *

Parking costs

Costs are: 15 minutes, free; 16 to 240 minutes, $3; and all-day, $5. Rates apply from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After-hours and weekend use of the facility is free.

|

|

|