The State College Borough Council has postponed a recommendation proposed in the spring by the Transportation Commission to change the rates for rental parking. The rate increase would affect all motorists who rent spaces in the borough's municipal facilities.

The rate adjustments would help finance a new parking garage and make all the parking rates in line with one another, council member Cathy Dauler said.

"Parking is self-supporting; we never take tax money for enhancements," she said. "The borough manager has said that we need to start saving money now, though we don't know when or where the new parking garage will be."

The Downtown Improvement District led the postponement.

"We recognize the fact that we need a new parking garage, but until we're actually financing it, we don't think the rates should be raised, and the Council agreed with us," said Teresa Sparacino, executive director of the Downtown Improvement District.

"There wasn't even enough support on the Borough Council to move ahead with it," Dauler added.

The council has also approved the Downtown Summer Concert Series, which will take place on the evenings of July 15, 22 and 29 in the Central Parklet, 241 S. Fraser St. The free series will feature the "Cast"of Beatlemania, jazz musician Jimmy Heath, and The Platters, Sparacino said. She said she expects 750 to 1,000 people to attend the concerts.

"Since it's free and right after work, we're hoping people stay around and enjoy the shows," Sparacino said.

In other matters, the surveillance cameras to be placed on the 200 and 300 blocks of Beaver Avenue are scheduled to be functional for the 37th annual Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts on July 9 to 13.

"That was the original intent," council member Elizabeth Goreham said. "The decision has been made, and I am concerned. They will be either monitoring real time footage, or filming and recording."

However, Dauler said she was unsure if the cameras would be in place in time for Arts Fest, and that they most likely would not be ready.

Dauler also commented on the progress of the Downtown Vision and Strategic Plan, which focuses on drawing residents back to the downtown area in the next 10 years.

Reviving Memorial Field and bringing in the new Penn State Downtown Theater were part of the original Strategic Plan, but there has been a struggle to prioritize projects, Dauler said.