(L-R) Wendy and Finn Jensen with their newly purchased parking metre at Red Deer's Sorensen Station on Wednesday in front of lineup. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

piece of history

Hundreds of Red Deerians flock to Sorensen Station for sale of city’s downtown parking meters

Oct 18, 2023 | 4:12 PM

Red Deer’s Sorensen Station was jam-packed on Wednesday, but not with transit riders. Instead, over 500 people were lined up to get their hands on a limited supply of the city’s old parking metres.

Following the City’s transition to the HotSpot mobile app for parking payment in the downtown area, Amy Fengstad, Parking and Licensing Supervisor, says they were approached by members in the community who were interested in purchasing the old metres.

She says while normally they would have sold to a wholesaler and then recycled the remainder of the metres, the City decided to expand the community idea and open the sale for the public who wanted a piece of downtown’s history.

With around 1,100 heads available, Fengstad says she was not expecting the amount of people who showed up, with a lineup formed before the sale’s opening at noon, but was thrilled to see the enthusiasm.

“I am impressed and excited, I just hope the lineups don’t make people too angry but it’s an interesting piece to see and people are very creative of what they’ll do with these”, she said, thanking everyone for their patience.

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She said some ideas include using the metres as artwork, a piggy bank, and a garage toy for people to play darts with.

Parkvale residents Finn and Wendy Jensen bought one single-metre head with a pole “just for the fun of it”, they said.

“We thought maybe we’d put it inside the front door and if anybody comes to visit they can pay for an hour” said Wendy with a laugh.

She added that she was shocked with the influx of people in line, speculating the metres may provide a piece of nostalgia and novelty for them.

The sale runs today and tomorrow from 12 – 5 p.m. in the Sorensen Station Parkade (4830 48 St.) SW storage area.

Accepting cash only, the costs are $20 for single-meter head, $30 for single meter with pole, $40 for double-meter head, $50 for double meter with pole. Prices include GST and are non-negotiable, with all sales final.

Red Deer’s parking metres for sale. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

Fengstad says the money raised will go towards the City’s parking management and strategy to help fund repairs and maintenance of existing equipment.

The meters are available “as-is”, although the coins have been emptied. The City says they are in working order but may require a replacement D cell battery, with some having been provided for free along with stickers at the sale for purchasers to decorate their metres. They add that card readers may not work on all meters.

They say the meters are unlocked and purchasers will need to work with a locksmith to get them rekeyed. There is a key at the sale as a demo.

Sales are on a first-come, first-served basis with no limit for each customer.

Learn more about Red Deer’s new parking system at www.reddeer.ca/parkingproject.