As an employee would you look forward to going to work everyday and having to pay to do so? Currently on Main Street in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania many businesses do not have parking for their employees. Thus, this leaves these employees to park on the street having to pay for the metered parking spots everyday. However, the meters on our Main Street only have time slots of two hours which leaves these employees having to exit their work place to pay a meter just so they do not receive a ticket. This takes time away from the employees and does not benefit anyone.

Currently on Main Street there are only a few businesses that have employee parking. This is a big problem because it negatively affects the employees of our town. Especially since there is a shortage of workers in America, the fact that the people that are braving through during this Pandemic and must pay to work is a serious dilemma. We could solve this by doing away with metered parking or creating separate parking for these employees. In 2019, Loren Nowak, a Main Street business owner said he felt the meters should be done away with because he feels they do damage towards the businesses. Jennie Lusk, owner of Wild Asaph Outfitters, also says in the same article that she has seen many leave her store due to fear of the meter. However, it may not be possible to remove metered parking in our small town because of what the money collected goes towards. The meter money goes towards maintenance of Wellsboro and the roads. A solution to these dilemmas could possibly be creating a permanent parking pass for these employees. The employees will still be contributing towards the funds the meters collect, however, the parking pass will eliminate the time and energy the meters take away from the businesses and their employees.

While there could be many solutions to this problem, what is known is that something must be done. No one should be penalized for going to work and trying to make a living, especially during these tough times. By finding a solution to this problem we will not just be benefitting the employees but our community as a whole.