ASHTABULA – The future of the parking deck in downtown Ashtabula was a topic at the Feb. 2nd Ashtabula City Council meeting.
During the meeting, it came up during a discussion about a recent criminal incident that took place there.
Council member Jane DiGiacomo brought up an emailed letter that Suzy Kist wrote to City Manager Jim Timonere and council about the incident.
“Did everybody get that?” she asked.
In the letter, Kist wrote that she was formally expressing her “serious concerns regarding public safety in downtown Ashtabula” following what she described as an assault that occurred in the parking garage off West 46th Street at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18.
“One of my tenants was assaulted in the garage by an individual believed to be homeless,” Kist wrote in the letter. “As a direct result of this incident, she has chosen to relocate her business, stating that she no longer feels safe operating in downtown Ashtabula. Additionally, another tenant has since left after witnessing the aftermath of the mugging. The Bakery on Main is following suite (sic) at the end of February. The past and current renters and employees have all expressed fear that a similar incident could happen to them.”
In his written response to Kist, Timonere said the police department tracked footprints in the snow and gained access to many building cameras to track the suspect. He said that none captured the event or the suspect’s whereabouts after the incident.
Timonere pointed out during the meeting that although the incident was labeled an assault, it was a person trying to snatch a purse.
“Luckily, thankfully, nobody was hurt,” he added.
During the meeting, DiGiacomo asked Timonere if he wanted to make his response to Kist’s letter public.
“It’s everything that we’ve discussed at council before of the different things that we’re doing on Main Avenue,” Timonere told her. “I wish there was a way we could prevent incidents from happening all over the city.”
He said that the Ward 4/Main Avenue area is “probably the most patrolled area that we have.”
“And, of course, you all know in the summertime we dedicate an officer walking the beat along Main Avenue,” he said. “At night time, even now, when the district (police) car has a moment, they go and pull all the doors along Main Avenue to make sure that the business owners have locked their businesses.”
Timonere then addressed the parking deck and what he’d like to see happen with that structure.
“There was some question about the parking deck,” he said. “I think I’ve mentioned it here before. I would love to see that thing removed, and we make a nice parking lot back there that’s well lit. You know, that parking deck is…gosh, it’s over 50 years old now. It’s well beyond its useful life. And I think there’s better things to do with that property in the back. So, we’re going to be looking at some different scenarios of what that looks like and what the funding could possibly be for that.”
DiGiacomo asked him if he had a deadline.
Timonere said the timeline would be dependent on grant funding.
Council member RoLesia Holman asked, “In the short term, is there any plan to do something about that for safety reasons, in the short term?”
“As I’ve mentioned, we’ve continued to patrol through the parking deck and along the Main Avenue areas,” Timonere told her.
In his written response to Kist, Timonere wrote, “I have mentioned it is my intention to explore having the deck demolished and putting a parking area in its place. With all the funding we are pumping into Main Ave., the deck needs to go in my opinion. We would be better served with a nice public lot, well-lit and much more inviting than the deck ever will be. This deck is beyond its useful life. We did a few years ago install the LED lighting that is in there now. We also intend to install new street lightings as part of the Streetscape project this summer. I understand ADDA is prepared to install a camera system along Main Ave. as well utilizing these new poles. I wish we could prevent all incidents from happening, but we know that is not realistic. We will continue enforcement and try to increase patrols in the deck when in the Downtown area to do our best to deter these incidents from happening.”
He said that he was sorry to hear of the incident happening.
In her letter, Kist wrote that all tenants regularly used the parking garage so that paying customers can park along Main Avenue, which she said further highlights the importance of the facility being safe and secure.
“These incidents are not only deeply troubling on a personal level, but they are also having a measurable negative impact on local small businesses and property owners who are actively investing in the revitalization of downtown,” Kist wrote. “When tenants and customers no longer feel safe, it undermines those efforts entirely.”
Although Kist wrote that she was aware that police patrols do occur in the parking garage, she said that, given the circumstances, “It is clear that additional preventative measures are needed.”
She wrote that “the installation of visible security cameras, improved lighting, and other deterrents could go a long way toward discouraging this type of behavior and restoring confidence in the area.”
She added that “downtown business owners and tenants need reassurance that their safety is a priority.”
