PARKMOBILE comes to Rehoboth

Rehoboth cuts ribbon on Parkmobile

Photo by: Steven Billups

City of Rehoboth Beach officials and employees along with the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon May 24 in front of the Building and Licensing Building on the city's Parkmobile system, paying parking fees with a mobile phone app.

The city has been researching an option for paying for parking meters without the hassle of carrying around quarters since last year. Parkmobile, which has been in operation in Washington, D.C., partnered with the city to bring the system to Rehoboth Beach with minimal capital costs.

Individuals can use the Parkmobile system by registering for the app on their smart phones at www.Parkmobile.com or by calling 877-757-5758. The user can create an account with a credit card and register multiple vehicles.

Once the user has found a parking space in Rehoboth Beach, they can launch the mobile app and enter the parking zone number located on the meter. The app will also notify the user when their meter is about to expire.

For visitors or locals who don’t have a smart phone, all of the meters still take quarters.

Shown prior to the ribbon cutting Mayor Sam Cooper, left, is the first to pay for parking via the Parkmobile on the tablet held by Executive Vice President of Marketing at Parkmobile USA Laurens Eckelboom.

Shown at the ribbon cutting opening the Parkmobile system in back are (l-r) Christine Hastings, Jolly Trolley; Mel Craig, department head for the City of Rehoboth Beach Public Works Department; Karen Zakarian, City of Rehoboth Beach; Greg Ferrese, city manager of Rehoboth Beach; Annmarie Westerfield, Rehoboth Beach Main Street executive director; Matt Turlinski, chamber of commerce chairman of the board; Jay Becker, chamber board of directors; and Patrick Gossett, Rehoboth Beach commissioner. In front are Stan Mills, Rehooth Beach commissioner; June Embert, City of Rehoboth Beach Parking Department; Mike Peterman, City of Rehoboth Beach Parking Department; Pat Coluzzi, Rehoboth Beach commissioner; Bill Sargent, Rehoboth Beach commissioner; Laurens Eckelboom, executive vice president of marketing for Parkmobile USA; Rehoboth Mayor Sam Cooper; Dave Henderson, director of the Information Technology Department for the City of Rehoboth Beach; and Carol Everhart, chamber president/CEO.

Public information session to be held May 7

Source: Submitted Stickers like this from Parkmobile are going to be a common sight around Rehoboth Beach this summer as the Atlanta-based company rolls out its pay-by-phone parking system. Parkmobile will host two public information sessions on Monday, May 7 before the system takes effect Friday, May 25.

Rehoboth Beach — Rehoboth Beach is set to roll out its new pay-by-phone parking system just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Motorists will have the choice to pay for parking by phone, using Atlanta-based Parkmobile’s mobile app, or they can pay with old-fashioned quarters.

The app is compatible with iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphones. To use the system, motorists register at Parkmobile’s website in advance, or they scan a bar code on the meters that automatically downloads the Parkmobile app. There is no cost to sign up, and the app offers the option to receive text alerts and reminders when time is running out.

While it is free to sign up, there is a 50-cent fee for every transaction.

Carol Everhart, president and CEO of Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce said the system is something like an ATM. If the motorist wanted to purchase two hours at $1.50 per hour, the total cost would be $3.50. Everhart said tags at the meters will explain the transaction fee.

Mayor Sam Cooper said the pay-by-phone system provides an easy way to pay for parking without carrying quarters. “This is going to be a large part of the answer,” he said.

The city had tried installing credit card meters in the first two blocks of Rehoboth Avenue, but they came with high fees and technical problems.

Cooper said the pay-by-phone system came with little capital cost to the city; the main expenditure was $120,000 to buy 10 handheld, Parkmobile-compatible ticket writers for the parking department.

City Manager Greg Feresse said motorists will get a break on 30-minute meters on Rehoboth Avenue, which will be lowered to $1 for 30 minutes, but on those meters, time cannot be renewed. Ferrese said this was done to encourage turnover; 30-minute meters are meant to allow motorists to run in and run out.

He said under the new system parking fines should go down because many motorists will be alerted when the meter is due to expire. Last year, the city collected $650,000 in fines, Ferrese said.

The city entered into a 2-year contract with Parkmobile to provide pay-by-phone service. Cooper said he’s excited about the change, but he’s taking a wait-and-see approach to see how things shake out. He lives in town and doesn’t drive around much, but Cooper said he’s signing up for the service.

To help familiarize people with the system, two public information sessions will be held: the first will be at the city commissioners’ workshop at 9 a.m., Monday, May 7, in the city commissioners’ room, and the second at 2 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Cooper said the sessions would be an overview of the system and how it works.

The city and Parkmobile will hold a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m., Thursday, May 24 at the building an licensing department, 306 Rehoboth Ave. Parkmobile will have ambassadors available at the Bandstand throughout Memorial Day weekend to answer questions and hand out use instructions for the service.

For more information on Parkmobile, go to www.parkmobile.com.