SARATOGA SPRINGS – While the City Center parking garage is aimed at alleviating the city’s parking woes, its construction and the anticipated fees it will charge is the source of another parking headache – this one for downtown employees.

In a petition that carries more than 100 signatures, downtown employees are asking that the City Council reserve a number of parking spots in which they can park for free in the yet-to-be constructed $16 million, 610 space garage. Employees are also concerned about where to park now as the once free, all-day lot where the garage will go up has been closed for construction.

“I felt like employees who worked downtown were not represented and didn’t have a voice concerning the new parking (garage),” said Renee Rohan who started the petition. “That’s the place where I usually parked.”

Rohan, who gathered the signatures, said some employees who used to park for free all day in the closed surface lot now find themselves needing to lock up their shops to move their cars from short-term lots.

“I heard that story over and over,” Rohan said.

Other workers, she said, who have been unable to leave their shops because customers were browsing have ended up with parking tickets.

Rohan, who lives in Malta and works at Saratoga Olive Oil Company, said that she usually parks on the street on Lake Avenue now. But when the Farmer’s Market is open or there are any events going on downtown it’s difficult to find a spot.

Asking the city for help is probably not the best approach as the new parking garage will be owned by the City Center on land leased from the city. City Center Executive Director Ryan McMahon said that he has no intention of exempting area employees from parking fees, which he said might be capped at $15 a day. However, he said he will likely ask businesses to lease parking spots for their employees on an annual contractual basis. He does not yet know what that will cost.

“We are several months away,” McMahon said. “We won’t be operational until track season. We have a lot to do now until then, including figuring out what it will cost to operate the garage.”

While construction is underway, Commissioner of Public Safety Peter Martin said there several lots that offer all-day parking, two on Woodlawn Avenue, as well as those on Putnam, Spring and Henry streets. He also said that most on-street parking spots located east of Henry Street and west of Clinton Street have full-day or multi-day availability. McMahon said workers should consider parking there.

“There are a number of spots that are equidistant from Broadway,” McMahon said. “That is where they should really be going.”

Rohan said employees understand that parking on Broadway is inappropriate because she agrees that those spots should be reserved for customers. She said most employees also don’t mind walking a few blocks from their car to work, but because most work for minimum wage, the possible $15-a-day fee at the garage would be too much.

“People who pay minimum wage cannot pay (even) $10 a day for parking,” she said.

She provided her petition to the Downtown Business Association with hopes that it can intervene. She also tried to give the petition to Mayor Meg Kelly, whom Rohan said declined to take it. Outgoing Commissioner Martin, however, did accept a copy of the petition, she said.

Rohan said she doesn’t want to cause trouble with the city or the City Center officials.

“I want it to be recognized as a problem and let’s see what we can come up with as a solution,” Rohan said. “It affects everyone on Broadway.”