Downtown Parking Hours Extended for Holidays

Mayor Dolan said he hopes the change will encourage downtown shopping.

Note: The following was submitted by the mayor's office.  Mayor Robert J. Dolan announced this week that holiday parking hours will be extended in the downtown municipal parking lots only through the holiday season. Effective immediately, through January 1, the time limit will be extended to three hours rather than two in the municipal lots. Parking limits remain as posted for all street parking. “I hope this makes it a bit easier for people to shop locally,” said Dolan. “The holidays are a busy time, and we want to do all we can to make it convenient to stay in Melrose and patronize local businesses.”

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City Makes Improvements to Dill's Court Municipal Parking Lot

Sixteen new parking spaces are available to visitors and upgrades were also made to the pavement and signs at the Shaw's lot.

Sixteen new parking spaces and upgrades to the pavement are some of the improvements recently made by the Melrose Department of Public Works at Dill's Court municipal parking lot, according to DPW Director John Scenna. "Ten news spaces have been created by the project," Scenna said. "Additionally, six spaces that had been previously solely reserved for police use are now open to the general public. That results in the project creating 16 new parking spaces for the general public (nearly a 12 percent increase in parking capacity within this lot)." With the additional spaces, the parking lot now has 151 parking spaces, according to Scenna. Scenna also noted that the lot was completely repaved and a new crosswalk has been added from the …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will The Oak Grove Bike Cage Be Complete?

The MBTA is constructing a new, gated bike cage at the Oak Grove Orange Line station that will hold approximately 132 bikes under video camera surveillance.

You Ask, Patch Answers is a new weekly column for Melrosians who have questions about something they've spotted around the city or wondered about. Submit your question to danield@patch.com. Patrick emailed asking for an update on the new bike cage the MBTA is building at the Orange Line Oak Grove station. "Work started in November/December last year but seem to have completely stalled," he wrote a week ago, adding in a follow-up email that "the work has resumed as of May 1." MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo explained the stall in construction in an email, saying, "The cage construction involves multiple contractors. The steel contractor experienced delays in getting materials to the site. Work is now underway." The bike cage costs approximately…

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Commuter Rail Parking Rate Increase Approved

The Melrose Board of Aldermen approved a $1 increase on the daily rate—and more expensive multi-day parking passes—for people who park in one of the city's three commuter rail parking lots.

Those who park at one of Melrose's three commuter rail stops to jump on the train into Boston will pay an additional $1 per day and more for multi-day parking passes, after the Melrose Board of Aldermen approved the increases Monday night. The aldermen by an 8-2 vote approved City Hall's request to bump the $2 daily rate to $3. Also, the $35 monthly passes would be eliminated, replaced by the option of purchasing at new pay-and-display machines either a 10-day pass for $27.50 or a 20-day pass for $50. At a previous meeting of the aldermen's Appropriations Committee, Melrose Department of Public Works Superintendent Bob Beshara said that the increased rates would help pay for the solar-powered pay-and-display machines, which will replace …

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Daniel DeMaina

3:09 pm on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Thanks for the feedback Steve—it's good to hear how residents agree or disagree with what the aldermen say.   more ›

City Proposing $1 Bump in Daily Commuter Rail Parking Lot Rate

Melrose DPW Superintendent Bob Beshara said the rate increase would pay for new pay-and-display machines at the lots and for parking lot maintenance around the city.

Commuter rail riders who park at one of Melrose's three stations to head into Boston face a $1 per day increase in parking lot rates starting mid-March, under a proposal given an initial OK by the aldermen on Monday night. The proposed daily parking rate increase from $2 to $3 would pay for three new pay-and-display units at the city's commuter rail station parking lots. Currently only the Highlands stop has a functioning parking pay machine. Pay machines at Cedar Park and Wyoming have been inoperable since last summer, Melrose Department of Public Works Superintendent Bob Beshara said, resulting in an estimated $25,000-$30,000 in lost revenue for the city. Melrose Police Chief Mike Lyle said that his department hasn't been issuing parking…

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Five Things You Need to Know Today

5 Things You Need To Know Today—Thursday, June 23

Harry Potter tonight at the Melrose Library; Melrose Night at North Shore Navigators; see draft recommendations for parking improvements and weigh in.

Today is Thursday, June 23 and here are Melrose's five fast facts for the day: 1) Here comes the BOOM: Today, a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers after 1 p.m. Areas of fog. High near 65. Northeast wind between 7 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. Tonight, continued showers and possibly a thunderstorm, low around 61. (Forecast from the National Weather Service.) 2) Unfortunately all my shoes have mysteriously disappeared: I'm a Luna fan. Catch her and the rest of the crew at Hogwarts tonight at 6 p.m. at the Melrose Public Library, where they'll be showing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited (children under 12 are welcome to come …

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