Free Parking at Hilton Head Island's Coligny Area

Tourists have been coming to the Coligny area of Hilton Head Island about since the first bridge to the mainland opened fifty years ago, but the area is in for some changes soon. And one of those changes involves getting rid of change, of the dime and quarter variety, that is.The Town Council voted Tuesday to make the about 400 parking spaces at the Coligny Beach Park lot free on a trial basis starting June 15th. That means the days of carloads of tourists scouring their minivans for quarters at the island's busiest beach spot or sneaking their cars into nearby Coligny Plaza could come to an end just in time for the prime summer season.Council members said eliminating the meters at the big public lot and at metered spaces along North Forest Beach Drive is a nice, welcoming gesture for island visitors. The meters brought in about $117,000 a year, which the council members called a relatively small amount. The town will re-evaluate the free parking plan at the end of the summer to see how it works.