Changes are coming to Fishers Geist Waterfront Park.  The nonresident parking fee will be reduced from $50 a day to $25 a day this summer, and only levied during “peak times.”

As previously reported here, Fishers residents will no longer use the city cell phone app to enter the parking area for free, a driver license showing a Fishers address will suffice.  Mayor Fadness added at Monday’s City Council meeting that, for instance, out-of-town grandparents driving their grandkids to the park could provide some other identification, such as a student ID, and that his staff is working on that situation.

Also, nonresidents paying to park will no longer need advance reservations, they can just pay cash as they park.

Jake Reardon McSoley, the mayor’s staff person in charge of city parks, said last summer resulted in fewer park visitors than had been projected.  The Canadian Wildfire pollution and many cooler-than-normal summer days were partly to blame for the lower park attendance.  McSoley tells LarryInFishers park staff will review last year’s attendance data to help in forecasting “peak times” when nonresidents must pay the $25 parking fee.  The city is sorting-out how it will determine “peak times” and how that will be communicated to the public.

Councilor Bill Stuart said he feels the $25 daily fee for nonresidents is “still a little too high” but feels this is a step in the right direction.