We recently attended a concert by the fabulous Bacon Brothers at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, and were forced to park at a nearby meter because the parking lot for the venue was closed to parking (another story).
No problem, right? The meter indicated an option to use ParkMobile; so, I pulled out my mobile and paid enough to cover until well past when the concert would end.
We returned to our vehicle to find a parking ticket placed less than an hour after we had parked there (more than three hours before our paid parking session ended, and less than three hours before we returned).
We appealed the ticket, only to have the appeal denied for “insufficient proof.”
Aside from a screen copy of the paid session (which was submitted), what additional possible proof could be provided? Follow-up with both the Code Enforcement & Parking Department, and with Mayor Redefer, has yielded nothing but a second notice, upping the fine from $30 to $45.
Which then begs the questions: Does the Town of Dewey Beach know how to interface with ParkMobile? Do they even want to?
Until this matter is resolved, I know I will never return to patronize any establishments in Dewey Beach.
Until the Town of Dewey Beach either learns how to use the technology option it is offering, or removes it altogether, I would recommend bypassing it for Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Bethany Beach or Fenwick Island.
Laurence N. Sparklin
Lewes
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