When you make trips to Sylvan Lake this summer be prepared to pay for parking if you want the convenience of parking near the lake.

Town Council has awarded the contract for pay parking stations along Lakeshore Drive, in Centennial Park and at the former water slide property, with parking fees in effect between May 15th and September 15th.
 
Communications Officer Joanne Gaudet explains Council's main motivation for moving to paid parking “this is more of an incentive basically just to get those visitors moving around the downtown a little bit. They come downtown and they want to park right next to Centennial Park and then they don’t move around. We’d love for them just to get a sense of what we also offer in the community, shops, and restaurants, some of our mobile vending opportunities. Just get them moving and then maybe they’ll spend a little money, stay a little longer and free up some spots for our residents as well”.

For residents however, who have already helped pay for the Lakeshore improvements, Gaudet says they'll park for free “residents will basically just call the Town of Sylvan Lake and register their license plates with us and then the equipment that we have basically if an enforcement officer scans someone’s license plate it will either say they have paid or they have not paid and those residents who have registered those vehicles will always come up identified as paid”.

Parking rates will be $10 a day and $2 an hour with revenue going back into maintenance of the parking areas and parks.

The Town will offer free parking along 50th Avenue and the promenade parking lots by the new NexSource Centre and 48th Avenue.