Parking fines in Evergreen irk residents, including woman who got ticket after rushing to scene of school shooting

In Evergreen, a Colorado community with a small downtown, free public parking spaces are now coveted and in short supply. Paid parking systems now dominate the downtown, and while validation is possible, locals have been grumbling over parking rates and stiff penalties for violations in privately owned lots.

"It just discourages me from wanting to come down and park in that big parking lot," said Kathy Boatman of Pine, talking about a lot on Plettner Lane that recently added a pay system.

She's not the only one. Evergreen mom Heather Taylor got a note about non-compliance when she parked in the lot Sept. 10. That was the day of the shooting at Evergreen High School.

"I got a text from my daughter. And she told me there was an active shooter at the school," said Taylor.

She jumped into her car and headed toward Evergreen High, but as law enforcement shut down roads and put up blockades, driving to the school became impossible.

"I had to park the car, I had to get out and I had to get to the school or as close as I could to get to them," she said. "I made it to the parking lot and I pulled in."

"And I parked and I ran out of my car and ran straight for the high school," remembered Taylor.

Her two daughters and son were not physically harmed, but soon there was a notice in the mail. She was billed $92 for leaving her car in the lot for about an hour. The notice came from Parking Revenue Recovery Services. It provided information to file an appeal on their website.

Taylor thought she had a good excuse.

"There's situations where there should be some latitude. Some understanding, some compassion," she said.

She entered her appeal on Sept. 23.

"I went in and explained the situation: why I had parked there, why I hadn't paid. I hadn't taken the time to, I guess, find the QR code, plug in my credit card. At that moment it was just about trying to get to my kids," she said.

Three days later, she received a reply.

"We have carefully reviewed your dispute. Based on the provided information, you did not pay to use the facility. As a result, this notice is valid, and the dispute is denied," came the reply in an email from PRRS.

It did offer a "revised notice amount" of $72 if paid within 10 days.

It sounded to Taylor like her appeal had not been read.

"I can assure you people read," began John Conway, co-founder and executive vice president of PRRS.

"That incident sounds like a communication issue," said Conway. "It's a training opportunity and I will go back and look into that because I agree with you, that is tone deaf," replied Conway to questions from CBS Colorado.

PRRS contracts to set up the equipment at the lots and do compliance. The lot's owners, decide the parking rate and receive the payment as well as a share of the non-compliance actions. Good Mountain Real Estate said it went to a paid system at the lot to preserve parking spaces for tenants at its properties. Shoppers can scan a QR code with tenants and park for free. The system is similar to one in a larger lot nearby downtown, where the transition was made several years ago.

PRRS determines non-compliance fees and says it needs to charge a minimum of about $50 for non-compliance just to pay expenses to operate the equipment. There is no regulation limiting what can be charged.

"There's a lot of cost in the background that people don't appreciate or understand," said Conway.

But some local businesses are concerned about parking costs.

"I don't think they did their due diligence to see what it would do and effect this community," said Megan Mitchell of Cactus Jack's, a restaurant across from the lot.

"I think it's shortsighted, in the respect that a lot of these people will not come back, just simply that they're afraid if they do anything wrong, they're going to get this ticket."

After Heather Taylor received her denial Sept. 26, she posted about her predicament on social media and local businesses stepped in. Aspen Mosoco of Aspen Consignment contacted the property manager that day to request that PRRS drop fines from the 10th.

Three days later, Heather Taylor was informed that the fine was dropped entirely.

Conway did follow up with CBS Colorado in an email stating, "You are correct that the lot owner also requested dismissal; however, that request was not processed by the team because the notice had already been dismissed internally." The email also stated, "The notice was voided three days after our team initiated the appeal, as the matter had already been escalated to the director."
Taylor notes there was nothing in the denial she got on the 26th to indicate that PRRS was still considering her dispute. There was no pathway indicated for appeal. And she was not informed it was dropped until the 29th.