It would be more accurate to say that USPS provides parking for employee in some locations, and not in others. In the case of Red Bank, apparently the USPS provides some parking for employees, but not enough for all employees.

If the Press statement is accurate, it sounds to me like the Postmaster was trying to convince the Council that his hands were tied by USPS policy, and they're not.

It will *not* take an act of Congress for the Red Bank Post Office to provide parking for its employees. Certainly the USPS would prefer not to provide parking, but they do provide it in some cases.

At that meeting, Mayor McKenna said he had gotten some offers from private developers, and they wanted to table the proposal until they had talked to the developers. Of course, none of them worked out, because a parking garage is not profitable.

The 2001 garage proposal brought 100 people to the council meeting, too, so I think Menna has figured out that the parking garage is the political third rail in Red Bank.

I'm also standing by my "quasi-governmental" characterization of the USPS, though. Congress gave up control of the USPS in 1970. The USPS characterizes itself this way: "The United States Postal Service® is an independent establishment of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It operates in a businesslike way."

I do think it's true, though, that the USPS is not going to start providing parking for employees just because a borough council says it should. However, the Postmaster was incorrect in stating that there was a USPS policy against it. From the USPS Web site (http://www.usps.com/employment/value.htm): "parking privileges are available in some locations nationwide."

When asking about whether employees would be willing to pay $5/day, perhaps the mayor was thinking of the underutilized Globe Ct. garage, which charges $5/day, and is about 5 blocks from the post office.

But when we drive to Monmouth Mall, for example, do we get to park immediately in front of The Disney Store? Of course not. It might require WALKING hundreds of yards to get from parking to a particular store.

Or maybe there isn't enough here for the average person to want to walk to. Because people sure don't mind walking a long way to get to the fireworks display, the street fairs, the restaurants, Count Basie Theater shows.

Saying Red Bank doesn't have enough parking is a politically driven urban myth. And I would suggest our love of writing parking tickets has more to do with dissuading visitors than any other single factor.

I was sad earlier this month to see the parking garage "solution" to Red Bank's parking "problem" return as a topic for reconsideration. I was more irritated than sad to see the comments made in the APP that the lack of parking spaces had been documented.

The problems that businesses in downtown are having are complex but I only have time for some simple comments. Downtown businesses are having problems because of high rents, a disfunctional mix of stores, increased competition from other communities, the traditional American distaste for walking more than a block from a parking space, meters that demand having just the right amount of change, high parking tickets,and perhaps from a downturn in the economy in NJ.

Building a parking garage on White Street will not solve the economic woes of downtown merchants. It would increase traffic in the core of the city, thus making shopping in Red Bank inconvenient. It would leave all the other other lots at the edge of downtown with even more empty spaces than they currently have. It could lead to increased cost for Red Bank residents, who seem reluctant to support expenses for a parking garage to support, and therefore in effect subsidize, landlords who seem to be profiting quite well–at least for the time being.

I encourage everyone who feels the way I do to call and write our council representatives and to keep the pressure on. I encourage everyone to let Pat Menna know that we support other kinds of efforts to keep downtown vibrant.

There was no "firestorm" in 2005. The Council itself nixed the idea after the former CFO made a $5 million error in revenue projections in the 17th year. Councilwoman Beck jumped on it and raised the spector of possible other mistakes in the pro-forma.

If a developer wants to create a garage downtown, and it doesn't involve too many variances, the free use of public land, or any favorable tax treatment, I still won't like it, but I guess I'd have to live with it.

But no developer is willing to do it, because it would lose money, even if the town gave them the land for free.

The council looked at the feasibility in 2005, and was ready to build a garage over the White St. parking lot. A firestorm of public opposition stopped them.