Shoppers in historic downtown Jackson won’t have to pay for parking this summer.  As part of the downtown stimulus program for the City of Jackson, the city council voted unanimously to cover the downtown area parking meters and provide free parking from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  The move comes from a joint effort between the city and the Economic Development Committee to revitalize Downtown Jackson.  This summer, the city will place bags over the meters on Main Street from the Bookstore to the National Hotel, a stretch that includes about 52 parking meters.  Several members of the city council spoke of comments and complaints from tourists and locals who had received parking tickets after spending considerable amounts of money in downtown shops. The city and committee hope to stimulate the economy by providing free parking, and will advertise in order to get the word out.  Although parking will be free this summer, the 3 hour time limit still applies, and parking officers will be tracking time by marking tires. The committee also considered phasing out the parking meters altogether, installing diagonal parking, and making Main Street a one-way street. Some members of the public were opposed to removing the meters, citing the high cost involved in purchasing and installing the meters.  Thornton Consolo of Jackson feels that having an officer patrol Main Street marking tires is “five times more labor intensive” than simply writing tickets for expired meters.  Consolo also made reference to the lost revenue from the meters, as well as from parking citations.  Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves replied that the 2007 net revenue amounted to 7,355 dollars, implying that the potential revenue loss over the summer would be less than that.  Regardless of the loss in revenue, one local shopkeeper says the free parking will be “wonderful” for downtown.