For Immediate Release: 10/4/2011 11:41 am
Worcester, MA (October 4, 2011) - Beginning on Monday, October 24, 2011, public access to the garage will be completely restricted to the contractor and to construction related/authorized personnel only. Parking for City Hall visitors will be available at all downtown private/public parking garages, as well as Worcester Public Library – McGrath Lot. Attached at bottom is a list of parking options in the downtown area. Parking will be validated for the municipal garages by the Department visited for bona fide City Hall visits. Parking for employees of City Hall, who currently park in the garage, will be available at the Federal Plaza Garage and the Worcester Public Library – McGrath Lot. There will be four designated ADA accessible parking spaces on Franklin Street (2 spots) and Front Street (2 spots). Commercial deliveries and satellite department short-term parking needs (mail-runs, payroll pick-up, etc.) will be available in the current commercial loading zone on Franklin Street.
The first floor Main Street and rear Plaza entrance to City Hall will be the primary access for visitors and employees. All visitors/employees will be directed to these entrances. These entrances are ADA accessible and provide access to all four floors and the basement via the elevators. All personnel who wish to access the building on evenings, weekends or holidays will be able to access the building through the rear Plaza entrance with the use of their activated swipe card. The sign-in process will remain the same.
While the rear Plaza entrance will be closed for a short, temporary period during the construction, it will be accessible throughout the majority of the construction project via a designated path from either Front or Franklin Street, depending on the contractor’s construction schedule.
We will work with our Boards & Commissions, and when necessary and if possible, try to schedule meetings at appropriate ADA accessible public meeting spaces with available parking during the interim period. All groups that have pulled permits for use of the Common and City Hall Plaza in the past year will be notified. The Parks, Recreation & Cemetery Division will work closely with organizers to meet their event needs or guide them to another suitable location.
The project will provide, once and for all, a safe, structurally sound, fully ADA accessible and aesthetically pleasing/functional garage and rear plaza area. It is anticipated that this construction and the related impacts will be completed by March of 2012.
In light of the parking garage closure, the City has entered into a partnership with Commerce Bank to assist taxpayers who prefer to make their payments in person. Beginning on October 24, Commerce Bank will accept payments from City taxpayers for real estate taxes, water/ sewer payments and motor vehicle excise tax at their drive-through branch on Main Street (adjacent to the Owl Shop) and at their Main Branch located at 386 Main Street between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
Please note that the City Hall Plaza (back door entrance) will be closed from Wednesday, October 26th until Wednesday, November 9th. This two-week window will allow the contractor to finish tearing up the pavers on the plaza.
In the interim, beginning on October 26th, there will be a pedestrian-only pathway created through the garage to the basement door from the Front Street side. This will allow access to the building from both the back and front entrances.
downtown-parking-map.pdf
