Treasurer’s Office Accepting Applications for PARK(ing) Day

Participants Can Turn Metered Spaces into Temporary Public Places

The City of St. Louis Treasurer’s Office is looking for participants for 2014 PARK(ing) Day, which is Friday, September 19.

PARK(ing) Day is a collaborative effort between the Treasurer’s Office and several neighborhood organizations to find alternative uses for parking meters for a day. Parking meters are “rented” by participants and turned into temporary public places.

The application deadline is August 29. The Treasurer’s Office will waive the $25 application fee and the meter rental fee for PARK(ing) Day participants. No commercial activity is permitted in the PARK(ing) Day spaces. The spaces must also be staffed and monitored.

“The goal of PARK(ing) Day is to draw attention to how we use public space, as well as to explore new ways of interacting with the city,” said Tishaura O. Jones, Treasurer of the City of St. Louis. “We encourage people to get involved with PARK(ing) Day and have some fun! We’ve seen parking spaces used for performances, art galleries, and even bowling.”

PARK(ing) Day started in 2005 in San Francisco when a group of architects “rented” a parking space by paying the meter and setting up a small park. It has since become an international event. St. Louis has participated in PARK(ing) Day since 2011.