Metered parking at night? In an effort to curb congestion and pollution, city officials are considering putting an end to a long-standing freebie in midtown Sacramento: onstreet parking after 6 p.m.

The goal: To encourage use of nearby parking garages and lots – and discourage drivers from endlessly circling the block in search of free parking spaces.

Due to the concentration of new restaurants and entertainment venues, "midtown has become a victim of its own success," says Christina Ragsdale, a spokeswoman with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.

Her boss, AQMD Executive Director Larry Greene, started the discussion with a letter in May to City Councilman Steve Cohn proposing to extend metered parking until midnight. His concern: Drivers cruising for parking spaces are contributing to gridlock and air pollution.

That letter prompted a series of informal meetings involving various city departments and midtown business leaders.

There's no official proposal yet but "the data suggests we should look at this further," says city transportation official Linda Tucker.

Her department's studies show that on-street parking in midtown's most heavily congested areas is 98 percent occupied on many Friday evenings, while nearby garages and parking lots sit virtually empty.

Currently, parking meters charge $1.25 per hour, but are free after 6 p.m. and on Sundays.

Extending those fees into the evening could drive more business to public and private parking garages and lots.

But so would reducing fees at those facilities, which now charge anywhere from $2 to $10 a night, says Rob Kerth of the Midtown Business Association.

He says Sutter Health, for instance, is considering lowering evening and weekend parking rates at its 28th and N street garage. Other private garage operators might follow suit.

Says Kerth, "I think we can show them that if they lower their rates, they'll get more business."

Artistic cover-up

Local artist Stephanie Taylor says she went "ballistic" when she discovered a large event tent blocking the view in front of Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar at the Le Rivage Hotel on the Sacramento River.

She offered her friend, Scott's restaurant co-owner Alan Irvine, a solution: She'd paint the tent to whimsically represent the obscured river view.

Taylor recently completed the monthlong job, which involved painting 4-by-10-foot fabric grids in her backyard, then laminating them onto the tent's exterior – "like wallpaper."

She's happy with the trompe l'oeil result – a 700-square-foot mural depicting the hotel's marina and the Sacramento Yacht Club across the river.

"It still (obscures) the view," she says of the tent. "But at least now you're looking at a landscape."

Goode times

The top 10 finalists have been named for the coolest of job openings: a six-month stint as social marketing guru for the Murphy-Goode Winery in Healdsburg.

Sadly, while two locals made the top 50 cut two weeks ago, neither got to the final 10.

The finalists travel to Sonoma County later this month for several days of "hijinks, excursions and poker, " says winery spokesman Mark Osmun, along with more traditional job interviews. The temporary position pays $10,000 monthly and includes free lodging.

One of the two local runners-up is Kris Vera-Phillips, 31, a KCRA producer.

The self-described wine novice works behind the scenes at KCRA. Submitting a video application for the winery job gave her a rare chance to be in front of the camera.

She's taking the job rejection in stride. "I was tickled," she says, "to get this far."

Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.