Help Me Hank: Help Me Hank! Massport meter mess

It should have been nothing but fun. First night festivities were in full swing. Jim Ertner was taking his wife for a fancy anniversary dinner and to top it off they found a parking space.

Jim Ertner
"All right, this is our lucky day."

And Jim knew he didn't even have to feed the meter.

Jim Ertner
"Mayor Menino had said that there would be free parking in the city during the holidays."

A delicious dinner, an anniversary toast, pay the check, but then, back outside, a not so happy New Year. There was a parking ticket on their car saying meter unpaid.

Jim Ertner
"It totally ruined the atmosphere of the day."

Now here's where the meter mess gets more mysterious.

The ticket is from Massport, not Boston Traffic and Parking. Look again at the meter, it does say Massport.

Still, it is in Boston, and that’s what Jim explained in the letter he sent to the Massport people.

Jim Ertner
"They did not agree."

That’s because, they explained, these meters were operated by Massport. The only freebies were operated by Boston.

Jim Ertner
"That’s when I came to Help Me Hank."

Massport meters? Really?

We checked over by the waterfront and look, some do say Massport and some do say you've got to pay no matter what.

Still, they're clearly in Boston, so if the Mayor says Boston meters are free, why doesn’t that mean all meters in Boston are free?

But Massport told us no, their meters are in effect 24/7, 365 days a year and the Mayor has no power to change that.

So does that leave Jim paying for a ticket he could only have gotten at these particular spots? Massport said no!

Ready for this? "In the spirit of the holiday," Massport told us, "CEO Craig Coy has paid for the ticket."

So wish a belated Happy New Year to Jim. He's getting a special present from Massport.

Jim Ertner
"That’s great news."

And here’s perhaps even better news. After our inquiries, Massport is now considering having its own parking meter amnesty for holidays. We'll keep you posted.

(Copyright (c) 2006 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)