Ted Schmidt of Lake Orion said he was searching for a parking spot in downtown Lake Orion one day when he came up with the idea for his latest business venture.
Schmidt approached the Lake Orion Village Council on July 10 to request that they allow him to operate a fee-based valet parking service in the downtown, utilizing available public parking spaces, as well as private lots, if the owners are agreed.
Schmidt’s PBT Parking would be a limited liability company, and he said he would carry the minimum $1 million in insurance, after conversing with other area valet companies.
‘If an individual is too intoxicated to drive, we could be a preliminary company or individual trying to monitor someone who may be too intoxicated,? he said. ‘Our sister company has a chauffeur’s license, to escort people home. For a fee, we’ll even drive their own vehicle home for them.?
Schmidt said he was instructed by his corporate attorney and insurance company that his liability would end once the vehicle was turned off, and then restarted by the owner.
‘Then it’s up to the individual to start their car and drive away, (if they are) intoxicated,? he said.
The parking pass will include a phone number, so people could arrange to retrieve their car keys at a later date, if needed.
‘Our primary concern is to give a little prestige to the village, and park the cars,? he said.
Schmidt said he would do evening hours to start, and perhaps lunch hours.
‘I’ve owned and operated several businesses…all have been very successful,? he said. ‘I’m not in this to fail, or to bring a bad name to myself or the village.?
President Pro-Tem Ken Van Portfliet asked if Schmidt had already run such a service successfully in other communities.
‘What I keep thinking of is the use of public property,? he said.
Ted said he would use only the public lots already available, and would only be charging the fee for transporting the vehicle to and from the space. He proposed a drop-off zone next to Lucky’s Natural Foods on Front Street.
‘Our liability’s only in the transportation,? he said. ‘I’ve already talked to some businesses about using their lots. The Sagebrush could bring 200 people a night, that’s about 100 cars.
‘There is a parking problem, and I’m trying to solve it,? Schmidt said. ‘If I can make a little money at it, thank you, God.?
Schmidt said he’d tried to contact the DDA but hadn’t heard back yet.
‘With private lots, you’d have to have some kind of agreement or contract,? council member Doug Dendel said. ‘You might have to reimburse them or something.?
Schmidt said he believed he could park about 100 cars using only public spaces, but would turn to agreements with private lots if necessary.
‘As far as this being a business venture, I think it’s a great idea,? said President Bill Siver. ‘But I don’t want to see our police department constantly having to venture out to see what you’re doing.?
Siver said Police Chief Jerry Narsh’s primary concern was intoxicated drivers.
‘Have you worked out a scenario, if you encounter one,? he asked?
Schmidt told council members he planned to coordinate with local establishments so that servers could call and warn them if someone was too intoxicated to drive.
‘We could call the village police, and try to stall the situation and delay the individual,? he said. ‘We’ll try to talk them into an alternative way to get home.?
Schmidt said the keys would be located on a board, always watched by at least one attendee, and he would also have at least two runners parking and retrieving cars.
Council member John Ranville said the council could agree to give Schmidt a trial period.
‘Then we could renew every six months,? he said.
‘I just have legal concerns,? responded Van Portfliet. ‘I’m not sure how to get through that.?
The council voted to agree to Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel’s proposal, to have Schmidt deposit $500 in an escrow account, to cover the village attorney’s fee, so the village attorney could consider the proposal and draw up a license agreement, as well as any other necessary agreements.
Schmidt said at this point he was just trying to find out the fees to see if the project was feasible for him to do.
Van Tassel said she felt having him pay the attorney’s fee was appropriate.
‘So the taxpayers aren’t paying for your business venture,? she said. ‘All we’re doing is taking the first step.?