For anyone who’s been to Morrison or Idaho Springs in the past few years, parking in downtown Golden will start to feel oddly familiar.
On Feb. 13, the Golden City Council unanimously approved a contract with Interstate Parking Company of Colorado to manage all its downtown parking spots, enforcement, permits and related operations.
Interstate Parking will take over all downtown operations April 1.
The contract lasts through the end of 2027 but may be renewed or terminated as city officials deem necessary. Staff confirmed Golden can terminate the contract without cause, allowing 90 days for Interstate Parking to withdraw its equipment and personnel.
Under the approved contract, Golden will receive the first $250,000 in annual revenues from paid parking, permits and enforcement. After that, the city and the company will split revenues 50-50.
Meanwhile, Interstate Parking is responsible for all related expenses, such as installing new kiosks, employing parking ambassadors, etc. The company has similar arrangements in Morrison, Idaho Springs and other municipalities west of Denver.
Steve Glueck, assistant to the city manager, said the city received six proposals from parking management companies. The others were fee-based, ranging from $275,000-$400,000, while Interstate Parking was the only one that offered a revenue-sharing model.
It also demonstrated the most flexibility and responsiveness to Golden’s needs, Glueck said at the Feb. 13 City Council meeting. Ultimately, he said, contracting Interstate Parking would bring in similar or more revenues while reducing city expenses and alleviating several problems simultaneously.
One he highlighted on Feb. 13 was the city’s current system, which is cobbled together with various technologies that don’t all work equally well and have difficulty communicating with one another. Golden has license-plate readers, parking kiosks, a pay-by-phone app, and the permit database vendor, Glueck listed.
Now, Interstate Parking will bring in its own system that will make things easier and more efficient for both users and the city.
Golden officials have heard frequent complaints about residents having to re-register their vehicles every time they park downtown, but they should only have to do so once under Interstate Parking.
Additionally, the city and company plan to offer free two-hour downtown parking to any Golden resident registered in the parking system. After the free two hours, residents could then purchase additional time as needed.
Finally, he confirmed the city’s permit-holders — whether residential or employee — won’t have to re-register with the new vendor. The city’s current vendor can transfer its database to Interstate Parking, he said, adding that Golden will need to update whenever there’s major turnover among permit-holders.
While Golden officials hope the spring rollout period will go smoothly, they said staff will work with Interstate Parking to address any hiccups that may arise. The city is slated to review the system in July and October, and at least once a year thereafter.
Glueck said on behalf of city staff members: “We believe this is an appropriate way to go, and we will do everything possible with (Interstate Parking) to make it work.”
The councilors seemed excited to introduce an easier, more efficient system to Golden.
Councilor Patty Evans said contracting Interstate Parking for enforcement will free up Golden’s code enforcement officers to focus on “higher safety matters,” such as the Clear Creek corridor. Councilor Bill Fisher also believed this arrangement would create a system where enforcement and community management go hand-in-hand.
Mayor Laura Weinberg hoped residents wouldn’t experience any negative impacts under Interstate Parking’s management, saying, “We’ll be talking about it again in July.”