Law firm rents meter for trial

WILKES-BARRE �?? On-street parking is at a premium outside the Luzerne County Courthouse Annex during the week and a law firm is paying a premium to rent a meter daily for a lengthy trial.

The city is charging Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn $10 a day for a spot on North State Street, said Drew McLaughlin, assistant to Mayor Tom Leighton.

It�??s well above what the meter would bring in on its own. It costs 25 cents to park for 20 minutes and there is a four-hour limit. Over an eight-hour period it generates $6 in revenue.

The law firm sought permission from the city to use the meter for a trial expected to last up to four weeks, Sue Greenfield, office manager of the law firm said.

She said the law firm is not getting special treatment with the meter rental. �??Anybody can do it,�?� she said.

McLaughlin confirmed there is a daily rate for rental and added, �??The city will bag meters for necessary events but they are never free and it is always for temporary needs.�?�

The city police department reviews requests to bag meters, he said.

An orange plastic bag with �??HKQ Law Firm�?� marked on it in black letters covers the meter for the reserved space.

Greenberg said the law firm rented six spaces at the nearby Genetti parking lot for paralegals and attorneys involved in the trial. But it asked for the on-street spot in order to park a vehicle used to bring witnesses and paperwork to the trial.

She estimated someone from the firm is �??probably in and out eight times a day.�?�

McLaughlin said the city will be paid later and the law firm will be invoiced for what it owes for the rental.