Letter to the Editor: Solving Ritzville's Main Street parking dilemma

Dear Editor,

Re: Downtown businesses employee parking. I have hesitated writing about this topic, but after run-ins with a few elderly people having difficulty caused by this issue in the past couple weeks I have felt compelled to do so.

I have noticed many business owners and employees of downtown businesses on Main Street parking right in front of their businesses, or in front of their neighboring business for their whole shift. This leaves very little vacant spots left for the customers of yours, or your neighboring businesses to use, causing them to park blocks down the street and walking.

Several of these customers frequenting the downtown businesses are elderly. Just last week I had to assist a man off of the ground who had to park by the library to go into the local doctor down the block. I noticed who was occupying the parking spots, and many were vehicles belonging to business owners or their employees.

I have also heard from many elderly patients in the office that I work in say that they have come downtown and couldn’t find parking so they just went home. This is causing local businesses to lose business.

I have always thought it was customary for employers or employees to park on Railroad Avenue or Broadway Avenue when going to work on Main Street. Can we as employers and employees of businesses on Main Street work together to solve this issue and make downtown more parking friendly?

Marie Borth, Ritzville