Lewes parking supervisor: We want to be ambassadors
Tempers often flare when someone sees a man with a ticket book standing next to their car. In Lewes, Rehoboth and Dewey, that’s not an uncommon sight.
New Lewes Parking Enforcement Division Supervisor Dennis Crawford says he and his staff are just doing their jobs, and he’s instructed his staff to be as polite and courteous as possible.
“We want to be ambassadors for the city,” he said. “The people who park are our customers, so if they have a question or a problem, they can find us very easily.”
Crawford said he and his staff have taken steps this year to be more visible to visitors. Parking enforcement officers now wear bright neon yellow shirts to stick out.
Lewes’ staff patrols the downtown metered parking spaces, the pay-and-display lots and the two public beach parking lots. Crawford said he’s instructed his staff to keep walking if a meter has time left on it, even if it’s only a minute or two.
“There’s to be no standing and waiting for the meter to run out, no stalking,” he said. “People are going to say we do that, but we don’t.”
The biggest issue Crawford has encountered this year has to do with folks using the mobile app Park Mobile to pay for their parking. He said people often have multiple vehicles programmed into the app and often select the wrong one when parking.
If someone insists they paid for parking using Park Mobile, Crawford is able to get a log of every car that paid for parking via Park Mobile, and he can check to see if the person did in fact choose the wrong car.
Crawford said he intends to host a short class at the main beach parking lot this summer to introduce people to Park Mobile and to show them how easy it is to use.
While June’s numbers aren’t in just yet, the Parking Enforcement Division was busy in May. According to statistics provided by Police Chief Tom Spell, division staff issued 1,257 tickets in May.
Parking is a big source of revenue for the city. Meters brought in about $436,000 in 2016, while parking violations totaled more than $145,000.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
