The era of the nickel and dime parking meters in Tamaqua has almost come to an end. Tamaqua Borough employee Dave "Chip" Christ began replacing the old style meters with new ones on Monday. The new meters will take quarters only, with each quarter good for 30 minutes of time.

The 130 new meters were approved last year by Tamaqua Borough Council and will be used in the downtown section of the borough. Christ spent Monday replacing the meters along Broad Street, from Greenwood to Nescopec. He planned to work early Wednesday morning, before parking regulations go into effect (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), but decided the minus zero wind chills forecast for Wednesday morning might be a little more than his fingers could take, as gloves are not an option for the work required.The areas where permit parking is available will still have the old nickel and dime meters, at least for now. Those areas include Pine Street, Mauch Chunk Street, Nescopec Street and Broad Street between Nescopec and Swatara Streets.