Paid Parking? Impound Lot? Parking Garage? Town Weighing Options At Fairgrounds Lot

The Select Board is set to determine the future of the public parking lot at 2 Fairgrounds Road at its meeting on Wednesday, choosing between a series of options presented by town staff.

The municipal lot behind the police station has become one of the town’s busiest, but limited infrastructure and the town’s ongoing struggles with enforcement have contributed to increasing rates of long-term parking, abandoned vehicles, and other violations at the lot.

“These issues have made the lot increasingly difficult to manage and have reduced the availability of parking for its intended users,” a memo from town staff reads in part. “With the Town also planning future improvements to the site, including drainage upgrades and the addition of a new modular office building, this is an appropriate time to consider the long-term future of the parking lot.”

The options included in the Select Board’s meeting packet provide possible general directions for the 75,000 square foot lot, which contains over 100 parking spaces. Once the Select Board chooses a course of action, town staff plan to develop a full plan and return to the Select Board. The options suggested by staff are constructing a parking garage on the site, paving the lot and creating a tow lot behind the police station, or implementing a paid parking system—either with or without some of the spots set aside for permitted town staff members.

The memo says that while the police patrol the lot regularly, they have not been able to curtail violations. In the 2026 fiscal year, which ended July 1st, the town recorded 383 parking violations and 58 calls related to abandoned cars. The memo also raises concerns about “commercial and business-related vehicle activity.”

“Growing demand and limited parking management measures have reduced the effectiveness and functionality of the lot,” the memo continues.

Implementing paid parking would not increase the lot's capacity or resolve enforcement issues, but it would strongly incentivize drivers to move their cars, provide a simple way to address abandoned vehicles, and generate a new stream of revenue for the town. One estimate included in the Select Board’s packet suggests the town could generate over $240,000 in net revenue by charging for the parking spaces at 2 Fairgrounds Road.

This could also be combined with a redesign of the parking lot to add more spaces, possibly bringing the total number as high as 147. The presentation also suggests the possibility of setting aside some of the spots for town staff.

Alternatively, the redesign and paving of the lot could be combined with the creation of a dedicated tow lot, where vehicles that violate parking rules could be impounded. The redesign and paving, however, would be much more costly than simply implementing paid parking.

Building a parking garage, either by adding below-ground levels to the lot or building tiers above ground, would dramatically increase the capacity of the lot and could go a long way toward alleviating parking pressure in the area, but would come with a high pricetag and a long timeline. A slide in the Select Board’s packet estimates a cost between $8 and $21 million, and suggests construction could take years. The presentation also suggests that such a project would “likely generate public concern or opposition.”