This story by Clare Shanahan was first published in the Valley News on Nov. 18, 2025.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Parking changes are on the horizon in three Upper Valley communities. After much debate, meters are scheduled to be installed in downtown White River Junction in the coming weeks. Elsewhere, a Hanover parking garage was slated to reopen this week and Woodstock has approved a new parking ordinance.
The 16 new kiosks in White River Junction will regulate 211 parking spaces, including on-street parking and spaces in the town square parking lot across from the Hotel Coolidge. It will remain free to park in the South Main Street lot near the VFW building all day.
Parking will cost $1 an hour and can be paid for in 15-minute increments for up to two hours. The kiosks will accept cash and cards, and connect to a mobile phone app. The system, from San Diego-based IPS Group, is the same one that is online in Hanover.
The goal of the meters is “not so much about the revenue as about making sure that people are in compliance” with an existing two-hour parking limit in most downtown spots, Planning and Development Director Lori Hirshfield said.
Whether to install parking meters has been a point of contention in Hartford for years. The Selectboard came under fire last fall when its members unanimously opted to use $145,000 in leftover COVID-19 aid to purchase the kiosks.
The decision was unpopular with many residents who saw their votes against using $160,000 of local option tax revenue to purchase meters in 2020 as a rejection of parking meters altogether. The town ballot measure was defeated handily by a margin of 2,088-906.
After public outcry, the Selectboard briefly delayed its vote on the parking ordinance that would implement meters before opting to approve the policy at a July 14 meeting with the goal of increasing turnover in downtown White River Junction which is often strapped for parking to access downtown businesses.
Exactly when the meters will be installed is not yet clear, but once contractors start the work it will take three to four days to get the kiosks installed, Hirshfield said.
Once the meters are installed they won’t be turned on right away, Hirshfield said. Town staff will have to test the machines to make sure everything is running smoothly, install signage around town with parking information and hire staff to enforce the meters, Hirshfield said. They also want to give residents time to get used to the new system.
The revenues are expected to cover the cost of an enforcement officer within the Hartford Police Department. Hiring for that role is still ongoing.
Hanover parking garage to reopen
In Hanover, the municipal parking garage that has been closed to the public for renovations since mid-September is scheduled to partially reopen Wednesday, according to an announcement from the town.
Work included concrete repairs, updates to emergency lights and the structure’s carbon monoxide monitoring system and other structural work.
Along with the reopening, the Hanover Selectboard opted at a Monday night meeting to introduce new parking rates in the garage for a three-month trial period starting Wednesday.
The new rates will include one hour of free parking, an increase from the previous 15-minute limit, and charge by the hour instead of by 15-minute increments. Rates range from $3 for one to two hours to $20 for the day.
With the changes, the town aims to “streamline” parking garage operations and “simplify the fee structure,” Town Manager Robert Houseman said in a recording of the meeting. During the three months, town staff will monitor garage usage, revenues and customer feedback to make long-term adjustments to parking in downtown Hanover.
Woodstock trustees adopt new parking ordinance
In Woodstock, the Board of Village Trustees unanimously adopted a new parking ordinance last week that is set to take effect in January. The ordinance, which has been in the works since the start of the year, makes several changes to village parking. These include raising fines for parking at an unpaid or expired meter from $10 to $15.
Parking fees also will be charged from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, one hour less than previously. The new ordinance also adjusts parking regulations around the village, including designating Ford Street, Stanton Street and Charles Street as new no parking zones.
The ordinance has been in the works since January when Trustee Lisa Lawlor started looking at ways to increase revenues in the Village that are not contingent on taxes. Lawlor found that the previous fines for not feeding the meter are lower than other towns that are either similar or nearby to Woodstock.
The change in fines was a good opportunity to look at the existing ordinance and focus on making it “easier to understand for everyone,” Woodstock Municipal Manager Eric Duffy said at the time.
The town was successful in that effort, Lawlor said.
“We clarified; we did everything we could to make the language more straightforward,” she said at the Nov. 10 meeting.
