The Borough of Tyrone has a new Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO), which many resident have found out the hard way since the new year began.
Tyrone native Robert Emigh has taken over the duties of now retired PEO Ron States. Emigh is a 2006 graduate of Tyrone Area High School and began enforcing the parking meters for the downtown area on December 26, 2007.
Emigh, a part-time employee of the borough, also is presently going to school in the evenings at the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology in Pleasant Gap; taking a course in Heavy Equipment, and using his enforcement job to assist him through school.
The borough installed 144 new electronic meters at the end of the summer in 2007. More importantly, the new meters only take quarters, compared to the old ones that took nickels and dimes.
The new meters total two hours of parking time and each quarter gives you a half hour of parking. But, since there were originally 153 meters in the borough, there are a few places where the nickel and dime meters still exist. That may have caused some confusion for residents parking in downtown Tyrone.
Those original meters still stand beside the Pennsylvania House on 12th Street and at the upper end of Pennsylvania Avenue by the Reclamere building.
Emigh said he has been giving out many parking tickets thus far to people parking in the borough because of meter violations, which he thinks might be because of the varying meters and the confusion that the new meters only take quarters.
“When I got hired on I just went out and the borough told me to write tickets, so I would go out and see if the meters were paid,” said Emigh. “If they weren’t, then they got a ticket.”
“I’m just going out and doing my job. I’m not trying to make enemies or anything like that.”
Through the transition period of the new meters and through the holiday season, parking has been free in the borough, which could be another reason why Emigh has been writing a lot of tickets to people; due to the fact that people were used to not having to pay for parking.
Metered parking is enforced in downtown Tyrone from Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking tickets for an expired meter violation is $5.
Emigh added, “There’s been a couple people I’ve graduated with and even family members who I’ve ticketed. They’ll call me and say I just gave them a ticket, but I just say I’m doing my job.”
There are options for those who park downtown all day for work or perhaps live in town. Parking spaces can be rented in the municipal lot and near the back of The Daily Herald office. Those who are interested can contact the borough office at 684-1330.
“The only other solution is to either pay the meter every two hours, which I understand can be a hassle, or just park on the other side of town and walk,” said Emigh.
“I understand it can be difficult, but again, I’m just doing my job.”
