Scrounging for change in the nooks and crannies of your car to avoid yet another parking ticket will be unnecessary over spring break and Christmas vacation this year.

State College Borough Council approved free downtown parking in municipal lots after 5 p.m. during those periods at its meeting last night.

The program, dubbed "Alive After Five," is an effort by the Downtown Improvement District (DID) to promote shopping and tourism while students are on vacation, said Ron Davis, assistant borough manager.

The DID's original plan called for free parking from 5 to 9 p.m. all year round. However, the estimated loss in parking revenue was $350,000 to $400,000, Davis added.

The revised plan, worked out by borough staff members and DID Director Teresa Sparacino, provides free parking from 5 to 10 p.m. from the Friday after Thanksgiving through Dec. 31 and after 5 p.m. during spring break, Davis said.

The estimated cost to the borough of this new plan is $30,500. The plan will be subject to a one-year trial period.

Sparacino said the DID always surveys downtown businesses after the holiday season and should be able to gauge the effectiveness of the program based on sales from previous years.

She added that it will become even easier to tell if the free parking experiment is working after spring break sales figures are tabulated.

"We all know that during spring break, downtown is pretty dead," Sparacino said.

All other existing parking freebies will remain in place and the DID will begin advertising for Alive After Five soon.

Council also voted last night to receive the Citizens' Advisory Committee's plan for spending nearly $1.6 million dollars in federal funding for 2004.

The largest expenditure included in the plan would be $503,124 for the reconstruction of Garner Street from College Avenue to Hamilton Avenue. This was also the biggest point of contention.

Council member Tom Daubert said he would not vote for the plan as is when it comes time for approval because closing off that street would be an inconvenience to area residents.

"We have to keep it open for the residents. We have to let them get to their places," Daubert said.

He added that he thinks it would be impossible to complete the reconstruction in only one year.

Mark Whitfield, director of public works, said it would be easier, quicker and more cost effective to do a large project like Garner Street all at once instead of breaking it up into smaller sections. He added that detours would be provided.

Council scheduled a public hearing on the budget plan for Oct. 20 and plans to vote on its approval Nov. 10.