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City will make parking deck free this weekend to help downtown businesses. Date published: 11/10/2005
By EMILY BATTLE Shoppers in downtown Fredericksburg will be able to use the city's new parking deck free of charge this weekend. The city is waiving parking fees for the weekend in an effort to support the Holiday Open House downtown, and to get people accustomed to using the new $6.1 million garage as the holiday shopping season kicks into gear. The garage opened last week at the corner of Sophia and Wolfe streets. City leaders said they hoped it would help spur downtown activity during the holiday season and make parking easier for the city's Christmas parade Dec. 3. David Holder, Fredericksburg's director of tourism and economic development, said people should use the garage just as they normally would. They'll pick up a ticket when they enter the gate on Wolfe Street. But when they put that ticket into the pay machines when they're ready to leave, they won't be asked for money. Normally, customers can park for up to two hours in the garage for free. After that, they get charged $1 per hour. Funded by local fuel-tax revenues and by parking fees, the garage was intended as a downtown economic development tool. That's part of the reason the city is trying to keep it free of commuters' cars. The free weekend will coincide with downtown's Holiday Open House. That event runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday. As part of the annual event, shopkeepers display holiday merchandise, and many offer free cookies, cider and other snacks to shoppers. To reach EMILY BATTLE:
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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