Ottawa creates permit-only parking lot

The Ottawa City Council Tuesday night approved an ordinance amendment that makes a parking lot south of the old Jordan Block a permit-only place. Mayor Bob Eschbach says downtown workers approached him about high school kids taking up the parking lot when they have their own at the high school that never fills up. Eschbach says this then causes workers to park along city streets which takes away parking from would be shoppers. Officials think students park in the lot to avoid congestion by the school and so they don’t have to pay $40 to park in the school lot.
The new permit-only parking will be Monday thru Friday from eight until four. Getting the permit is free but if you’re parking in the lot without one it’ll be a $10 ticket. Eschbach says for the first few days of the permit parking, crews won’t hand out tickets and instead put brochures on cars telling them its parking only for downtown workers.