But a committee made up of 12 of the owners disagree on who should pay for maintenance once the improvements are made.

Renovation for Town Square, which is bordered by Illinois Avenue and Monroe, Washington and Jackson streets, is expected to begin in May, said Tom Redmond, downtown coordinator. J & L Robinson Development & Construction Co. of Carbondale will build new parking lots and do landscaping for park areas.

Once construction is finished, city officials must find a way to pay for maintenance, including landscaping, snow removal and painting parking lots.

They are not sure exactly how much money it will take to maintain Town Square, but Redmond said maintaining the 225 new parking spaces on Town Square should cost between $100 and $150 each year. Cutting grass

See MAINTENANCE, Page 7

and other landscaping could cost between $4,000 and $5,000.

Dr. Marsha Ryan, a general and vascular surgeon on West Main Street, said she is open to almost any suggestion for financing the maintenance for the Town Square, including taxing property owners near the area and selling parking permits.

It makes no difference to me how this happens, she said. But I would like to see parking meters out of the picture.

Bill Haupt, owner of T-Birds on North Washington Street, said he thinks parking meters are the best way to finance the maintenance.

I want to see it happen, he said. I want to see improvements, but I have a problem with more taxation.

Haupt said he already is paying 1 percent of his sales to the city and wants to give the meters a try.

If enough money doesn’t come from meters, we can try something else, he said. The meters would be a simpler way of doing things.

Although Marilynn Martin of Mary Lou’s Grill on South Illinois Avenue did not say she wanted parking meters, she said if parking were free, all parking spaces would be taken away from her customers.

The committee will meet again May 16. When a decision is reached, it will make a recommendation to the City Council.