Chris Barton expected 10- or 15-minute parking when she asked for signs outside the West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.

Instead, the city gave her something in between.

";One day I pulled up and I'm like, '13 minutes, what the heck,' "; said Barton, the chamber president.

For the last year, a 13-minute limit on a short stretch of the Lodoen Community Center's west side has elicited similar reactions.

";It has gotten so many people's attention,"; Barton said.

West Fargo Public Works Director Barry Johnson said that's what his department wanted when it ordered the signs.

";That brought up public awareness that it's short-term parking,"; he said.

The time limit suits chamber member Kirk Beckius, who sometimes used the parking when he made quick trips to the office.

Now, the chamber office has moved to a spot in the building that's closer to a parking lot, so Beckius figures he'll park there. But he enjoyed the short-term parking when he needed it.

";As long as it was more than five minutes, it worked out well for us,"; said Beckius, of Fargo's Caldak International.

Originally, four 13-minute parking signs stood outside the building. Three of them have been replaced with loading zone signs, Superintendent Chuck Cheney said. The Lodoen Community Center, a former middle school, is owned by the school district.

Still, 13-minute parking probably won't entirely disappear any time soon, Johnson said. Someone would have to ask the city to remove the parking limit.

";Until that situation changes, they'll be there,"; Johnson said.

Police Chief Arland Rasmussen doesn't believe anyone has been ticketed for parking too long.

";I think they were put up for a conversation piece,"; he said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Andrea Domaskin at (701) 241-5556