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Parking enforcement officer 'loved and hated'

Contributed by: Joseph Kirchmer/YourHub.com on 3/25/2008

Dave Hutchings likes his work, but admits his work may not be liked

Castle Rock parking enforcement officer Dave Hutchings casually strolls down North Wilcox Street on March 21 and passes by an elderly woman, who says, "There goes the mean old man."

Hutchings laughs and replies, "Hey, I'm lovable." He then turns and says, "I get that a lot."

It's just another day in the life of Hutchings, who's been writing parking tickets and chalking tires in the downtown area since May 1, when the ticketing program began.

The town created the position last year to help free up parking spaces downtown for shoppers. A two-hour parking limit was already in place, but had never really been consistently enforced, he said.

The results have been mostly positive thus far, he said, especially from the local business owners. But that doesn't necessarily mean everyone is happy with the new rules.

"I'm either the most loved or the most hated guy in town, depending on who you talk to," he said. "The business owners love it. And actually, I think for the most part, people understand this is for the greater good."

Hutchings, 51, who previously worked for a cruise line in Florida before moving to Sedalia with his wife, said he truly enjoys his job.

"I'm loving it," he said. "It gets me outside. It's not just walking around and marking tires. You're more involved with people in the community and people who work in the community."

Hutchings, an avid fan of the A&E reality television show Parking Wars, said he's only had a couple of tense exchanges with irate drivers who had just been ticketed.

"Probably about two people who have raised their voice and did some finger wagging," he said.

Though the position is only part-time, Hutchings said he hopes it will be expanded into a full-time job.

"It's been a success thus far," he said. "As I've observed over the past 12 months or so, you can pretty much find a parking spot within a block of your destination downtown. When you compare that with most comparable municipalities, I would say we don't have a parking problem anymore."

Danger Zones -- These are the most ticketed areas

300 block of Third Street - 260 tickets
300 block of Fourth Street - 115 tickets
400 block of Fourth Street - 113 tickets
300 block of Wilcox Street - 111 tickets
300 block of Perry Street - 103 tickets
300 block of Jerry Street - 98 tickets
400 block of Jerry Street - 39 tickets

SOURCE: TOWN OF CASTLE ROCK



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Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 3/26/2008 @ 7:10:59 AM
Rated Story
Not so sure I'm in favor of it, but then I'm a Larkspur boy...
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