Mary Ellen Koval– Chairperson
Candida Affa- Vice Chairperson
Sara Hailstone– Secretary
Daryl Hendricks-Treasurer
Ted Zeller – Assistant Secretary
Tamara Dolan - Executive Director
Daniel K. McCarthy - APA Solicitor
A regular meeting of the Allentown Parking Authority Board was held June 24th, 2015 at the offices of the Allentown Parking Authority located at 603 W. Linden Street.
The following were in attendance:
Mary Ellen Koval-Chairperson
Candida Affa-Vice Chairperson, attended via conference call
Sara Hailstone-Secretary
Daryl Hendricks-Treasurer
Ted Zeller-Assistant Secretary
Also in attendance:
Tamara Dolan-APA Executive Director
Daniel McCarthy-APA Solicitor
Tony Ganguzza-Boyle Construction
Lt. Richard London-Allentown Police Department
George J. Grazer Jr.-Manager of On-Street Operations
Marge-Hopkins-Minutes
Mary Ellen Koval called the meeting to order at 12:04 p.m.
MINUTES
Ms. Koval asked Board members to address any concerns regarding the Minutes from both the April and
May meetings. The Board members did not express any issues with the Minutes; therefore, Ms. Koval asked for a motion to approve the Minutes. Ted Zellers made the first motion, Daryl Hendricks seconded the motion, all other members agreed and the Minutes were approved.
Page 1

FINANCE REPORT
May Report
Tamara Dolan stated that the budget figures reported for May were typical for this time of year and reflected the total operating revenue exceeding operating expenses. After the transfers for the debt service and Capital Projects, the General Operating Fund reflected an excess of $25,967 for the month.
Ms. Dolan stated that May 1 st
was the official start of the new enforcement measures when the meter rates and enforcement hours increased. The change in enforcement, continued Ms. Dolan, was about gaining compliance and, although the initial figures are not indicative of a trend, parking ticket revenue decreased for May while parking meter revenue increased. While a decline in revenue is not ideal, it is always the authority’s goal to increase compliance and off-street revenue, rather then raise revenue through the issuance of parking tickets.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Disposal of Vehicles
Ms. Dolan stated that the authority recently learned that in March of this year, the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation had placed a statewide embargo on the ability of salvage yards to dispose of vehicles that were impounded by parking authorities. The APA is codified by ordinance and is authorized to have vehicles towed from a city street for violating any number of city ordinances. Once the vehicle is towed, the salver is responsible for contacting the registered owner of the vehicle to inform them that the vehicle is in the salvage yard’s possession with instructions on how the owner can claim their vehicle. After a period of thirty days, should the vehicle remain unclaimed, the salver would submit paperwork to the State requesting approval to dispose of the vehicle. Due to the embargo, continued Ms.
Dolan, the salver for the APA cannot dispose of the vehicles on their property that were towed at the request of the authority. In an attempt to investigate the matter further, Ms. Dolan stated that the APA has contacted several departments and has turned the matter over to APA Solicitor Dan McCarthy to reach out to the chief council at Penn Dot. Mr. McCarthy stated that he has contacted Ken Lassen,
Director of Risk Management for Penn Dot, who suggested that the APA compile information to present to Penn Dot that will substantiate the APA’s authority to tow vehicles from the street and have them impounded by a salver. The requested information will be sent during the second week of July, when the counsel for Penn Dot and Mr. Lassen have both returned from vacation. Mr. McCarthy stated that, in
1982, the State Legislature expanded the right of parking authorities to allow them to tow and boot vehicles from a city street and the APA has had the authority to do so since their inception in 1985. Mr.
Hendricks asked if the embargo has created a financial burden on the APA. Ms. Dolan replied that to date, it has not; however, at some time, the salver may refuse to tow any more vehicles for the APA. Mr.
Zellers stated that many agencies have legislative liaisons and asked whether there was anyone that the authority could reach out to on a local level. Ms. Koval stated that Ms. Dolan had contacted various departments and local State offices; however, they were not able to provide any additional information regarding the embargo. Mr. Zeller stated that the embargo is appears to be a mandamus order and Mr.
McCarthy stated that it has not yet advanced to that level, and he anticipates that the information that he will submit Penn Dot will be enough evidence to allow the APA to continue a practice they have been conducting for decades, under the authority of local legislation.
Page 2

Online Event Permits
Ms. Dolan stated that, on June 23 rd
the APA launched an option on their webpage that will allow people to purchase parking for events online for PPL Center events. Ms. Dolan thanked Ms. Hopkins for her efforts on the projects and the success of the launch. Ms. Dolan stated that she posted the event parking information on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Night Enforcement
According to Ms. Dolan, reports indicate that individuals who are receiving a ticket during the extended enforcement hours are being ticketed for expired meters, inspection, and safety violations. The majority of the vehicles ticketed for an expired meter violation are not being ticketed repeatedly after 6 p.m. for meter violations, Ms. Dolan stated. Since the initiative was launched recently, the APA is examining their efforts and deciding how best to respond to issues presented during evening enforcement that do not arise during daytime enforcement. The evening officer does not have access to the proper resources or the office staff to coordinate the towing process; therefore, evening enforcement has not yet expanded into towing procedures. The APA will continue to follow the progress of evening enforcement and make improvements when needed.
LVHN security
Ms. Dolan stated that she was contacted by several APA customers questioning why security personnel were suddenly posted in our decks. After investigating the matter, Ms. Dolan was informed that LVHC had requested extra security for the Epic staff while they are training at the LVHC location at 7 th
and
Linden Streets and had placed security on each level of our ATC and Spiral decks. Ms. Dolan reached out to LVHC Corporate Headquarters, and asked them for the standard paperwork needed to use APA property, which includes an initial request to the Board to be on the property, a ‘Hold Harmless’ agreement, additional insurance certification, and worker’s compensation documentation. LVHC responded that they were not going to provide any of the required documentation; therefore, Ms. Dolan reached out to her local contact at LVHN. During that conversation, stated Ms. Dolan, the same request for documentation was expressed to the LVHN; however, the paperwork and request were never received and, following further discussion, the security staff vacated APA property. Mr. Zeller asked if there was an incident that generated the security or whether it was perception. Ms. Dolan replied that there had not been an incident and it was perception. Ms. Dolan stated that she understood there might be a need for a security escort for the Epic staff returning to their vehicles after midnight and stated that those are appropriate and acceptable requests.
Blues, Brews, and Barbeques
The annual Blues, Brews, and Barbeques event was held last week in downtown Allentown, and was extremely successful, according to Ms. Dolan. Specifics concerning the event that were given to The
Morning Call for print by the Chamber of Commerce erroneously indicated that parking for the event would be free at the Spiral Deck. The error created an issue for both patrons attending the event, as well at the staff member assigned to the Spiral deck, according to Ms. Dolan. The staff member is well regarded at the APA, Ms. Dolan stated, and due to the issues caused by the error, the attended asked for a meeting with Ms. Dolan to address their concerns. Ms. Dolan has spoken to a representative at the
Page 3

Chamber to address the issue and will be meeting with them at a later date. Ms. Koval suggested that during the discussion with the Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Dolan take a proactive approach to the parking specifics before such events are scheduled, and Ms. Dolan agreed that clarity is imperative.
Life Church
Ms. Dolan stated that on Sunday June 21 st
, Life Church has held their second service at Symphony Hall and, through a lease agreement with the APA, parked between 400 to 500 cars at the ATC for the service. Life Church, according to Ms. Dolan is pleased with the lease agreement and the parking availability for their members during their services. Life Church is billed for the use of the facility and attendees for the services are instructed to pull a stub upon entry into the deck and exit through the open gates when leaving the facility. Ms. Dolan reported that because some members are still attempting to pay for their parking, for the next several weeks, the APA is going to have an attendant on site for an hour each Sunday to act as an APA ambassador and assist the members who are parking in the deck.
LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY
A presentation of License Plate Reader Technology was given by Lieutenant Richard London of the
Allentown Police Department who oversees the technology.
Lt. London thanked the Board members for allowing him to attend the meeting and present the APD
LPR program, technology also used by the APA, and to request approval of data share program between the two entities. According to Lt. London, the APD began using their LPR technology in 2014, after extensive research on the technology in 2013. Four mobile LPR units have been installed on the district police cars that cover center city as well as the east and west sides of town, and a stationary unit is located in center city. The LPR technology, continued Lt. London, is paid for through the Byrne Grant, a federal allocation that the police department receives annually. Since the installation of the technology in
July, the police department has had 2.4 million reads. The technology is used by the DEA, CID, and insurance fraud investigators to locate and track individuals by reading license plate numbers of vehicles, and according to Lt. London, has already been instrumental in helping to solve a homicide. APD considers the technology to be a great investigative tool, and they would like to expand their operation and share data with the APA. In 2015, APD plans on adding another LPR mobile unit; however, because fixed plate readers only show when a vehicle passes, it is not as useful as the mobile units and the APD has not made any plans to purchase those units. The Wi-Fi camera network throughout
Allentown syncs with the Genetec LPR technology without any added expense to the APD. That benefit as well as the knowledge that the Bethlehem Parking Authority and the APA reportedly use Genetec technology was a factor in APD choosing Genetec as well. The APD is hoping to link into the APA data base and share information, increasing the data and information between the two and having better investigation results and more crimes solved. The license to share the data through Genetec’s direct federation, according to Lt. London, is six hundred dollars.
Ms. Dolan stated that the APA would be happy to assist the APD in the data share program; however, there is some concern about how to get the APD to the next level, due to issues with the sweeper camera program, the APA has pulled their contract from Genetec. Ms. Dolan stated that the APA would contact their technology team to discuss what interfaces would need to be created to share the information without the use of Genetec. Ms. Dolan directed Lt. London to work with APA Manager of On-Street,
George J. Grazer, Jr. to move forward and facilitate sharing LPR data. Currently, Ms. Dolan continued, through a patch they created and paid for, the Regional Investigative and Intelligence Center has a link and direct access to a portion of the APA data base, indicating that there should be a solution to sharing
Page 4

data with the APD as well. Ms. Koval addressed the Board and stated that she asked Lt. London to present the information to the Board as the Authority is examining new technology and will be sending out an RFP for the technology, and it would be beneficial for the entities to be able to tie together.
OLD BUSINESS
Tony Ganguzza presented a deck construction update to the Board and stated that due to great weather conditions, the construction is ahead of schedule and under budget. Tentatively, the deck could be completed by the first week of December and is trending for a possible earlier completion date closer to the week of Thanksgiving. The deck is divided into six grids coming off of Type Street and as of June
26 th
, the first grid line which houses the stair tower and elevator, the most intensive and lengthiest part of the erection, will be completed. Mr. Ganguzza projected that by the middle of August, the deck should be completely erected. As each grid is completed, the plumbing and electrical contractors are sent into the grid to complete their portion of the construction. The contractors are working well together, reported
Mr. Ganguzza, and weekly meetings attended by both he and Ms. Dolan are also going well. The total price for the contract is $16.6 million with $1.8 million in allowances. To date, only $900,000 of the allowances have been utilized, with a large portion being spent for rock excavation and shoring. The contingencies budgeted for the project will more than likely not be used, according to Mr. Ganguzza, and the change orders that have been requested have decreased the contract by $175,000. Ms. Hailstone asked if anything could be added to the project and Mr. Ganguzza replied that since the ground work has been completed, the APA is in a much better position to make changes. Ms. Dolan stated that she has asked Boyle construction to give an estimate to stub the utilities in the case the residential wrap plan comes to fruition. Ms. Hailstone asked for charging stations at the deck and Ms. Dolan replied that four stations were already in the plan, similar to those installed at the Spiral Deck. Ms. Hailstone suggested the APA contact the Green Building Council and other publications that might be interested to know that the stations are in place at one of the APA facilities and are being installed at the new deck as well. Mr.
Ganguzza stated that although there is a possibility that the first few levels of deck can be occupied before completion of the entire deck, life safety measures must be met prior to occupancy and could present challenges. The elevator should be installed and inspected by Thanksgiving of 2015, Mr.
Ganguzza continued, and without access to the elevator but still having the life safety measures met, three levels could tentatively be occupied. The portion of the deck that could be occupied include the ground level off of Walnut, the second off of 6 th
closest to Hamilton and the third level, roughly 340 spaces. Mr. Hendricks and Ms. Hailstone asked why there would be a need to occupy the deck prior to completion. Ms. Dolan responded that because of the changes in downtown, coupled with Epic training, the APA is parking 400 more transient vehicles in their facilities. Currently, the APA is managing to park the vehicles; however, limited inventory remains in the area. Mr. Ganguzza stated that, in approximately two weeks, all of the contractors will be returning to the construction site to work on their portion of the project. As that work progresses, a more concise determination regarding the schedule of the construction and completion, can be made. Mr. Ganguzza estimated that it should take approximately two months of construction to make that determination. If everything runs smoothly and the deck is completed much sooner than expected, the need to open any levels prior to completion may not be necessary. If the deck is to open with all the levels accessible for parking, extra measures to work around the occupied levels by the construction crews, as well as extra expenses with a partial opening will be eliminated. Mr. Ganguzza stated that he will keep the Board informed of the construction schedule. Ms.
Dolan thanked Mr. Ganguzza for his overview and then addressed the Board to provide insight into APA lot and deck capacity. According to Ms. Dolan, parking statistics show that if a facility has an eight-five percent occupancy rate, it is considered full. The Spiral Deck is a ninety-percent, the ATC is at eightyeight percent, and the AGAPS facility is trending along the same percentage rate, according to Ms.
Page 5

Dolan. One tenant has yet to occupy City Center Three and eighteen cars will need to be parked, based on that tenancy. The APA is ready to move staff from the ATC to another APA property, should the need arise, according to Ms. Dolan. The new 1000 space deck, reported Ms. Dolan, already has 560 spaces reserved spaces; 400 from City Center and 160 spaces on a waiting list, occupying more than half of the available spaces.
Construction Accident
Ms. Dolan reported that, during the week of June 15 th
, a welder on the construction site was injured.
700RR Lot Request
Ms. Dolan stated that the request to have the APA property on the 700 block of Railroad Street rezoned has passed the city planning commission and will be sent to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission before the final approval by Allentown City Council. The request to have the property rezoned was made by Mr. Elias and was in conjunction with his request to have his property rezoned. Ms. Dolan continued stating that, Mr. Elias has expressed interest in purchasing the seventeen space APA property on
Railroad Street, which has fourteen sold contracts purchased by residents in the neighborhood. During initial conversations, Mr. Elias discussed a possible land swap of the APA property for one of his properties at the other end of the street. Ms. Dolan stated that in more recent conversations with Mr.
Elias his interest has changed and he would like to purchase the property outright, without an exchange of properties. After several discussions between Mr. Elias and Ms. Dolan, the negotiations have been turned over to legal counsel for both parties, APA Solicitor Dan McCarthy and Joseph Piperato, Mr.
Elias’ counsel. Counsel for the two parties will discuss terms for either a long-term lease for comparable
Elias property, or the swap of the APA lot for another property owned by Mr. Elias, located on the same block in need of improvements to meet APA standards.
Courtesy of the Floor
None.
Adjournment
Ms. Koval asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Hailstone made the first motion, Mr. Zellers made the second, all members were in favor of the motion and the meeting was adjourned at 1:03pm.
Page 6