Williamsport Parking Authority is exploring a less all-concrete type of parking facility, designed to be demountable, semi-permanent and more environmentally friendly.
It's called More Park System, a "bump-up parking deck," which is made of removable pre-cast concrete platforms secured by galvanized steel beams that can be assembled in a few weeks - as opposed to several months of construction - and is available in airports in Europe and soon to be providing parking for the Brooklyn Nets, the NBA's new franchise team.
Thomas R. Noonan, a representative of More Park of Patterson, N.Y., traveled the four hours to speak Friday afternoon to authority representatives who seemed impressed by the potential for use of the system throughout the city.
Two spots are envisioned, one across from the Williamsport Municipal Water and Sanitary Authority building along West Fourth and Hepburn streets and another between the Children's Wing of the James V. Brown Library and the Williamsport Building on Market Street.
Costs were not part of the discussion, however, the company does a site analysis for free by getting selected sites sent to it, downloading them on Google Earth, setting measurement specifications and returning the information to the city, Noonan said.
The company uses 95 percent recycled steel made in Alabama steel mills and shipped to New York state for galvanization. The concrete is pre-cast.
Noonan gave a Power Point presentation to the authority. It showed how the double-level parking deck is assembled using forklifts. There are no cranes needed. The deck can be dismounted and moved to any location, he said.
It is claimed to be 40 percent less expensive than traditional parking structures and requires no staging area.
Cars and trucks park on 75 degree angles for more efficiency and to double the surface parking capacity, Noonan said. The deck has one-way traffic to prevent accidents and modules may be added as demand grows, he said.
The deck is built by putting it on top of the existing asphalt, so another drainage area isn't created.
Authority members were shown how strong and pliable the support beams are by an example of a 3,500-pound car hitting a pillar at 20 mph to 25 mph.
A geotechnical engineer would check each site by sample borings to determine if there is enough inches of asphalt and gravel, he said.
William E. Nichols Jr., general manager of River Valley Transit, was interested in the maximum clearance and Noonan said it was 13 to 14 feet, which is high enough for specialty vehicles, such as ambulances.
The full board of the authority will review the documentation before deciding on the concept and how it would fit into the city, said Dr. Tony Cipolla, chairman of the authority.
The authority views the bump-up lots at a potential way of filling in space and providing opportunity for more commercial growth, he said.
