Remember the “Massive Meter Meltdown” back in spring of 2009?

The late May weather in Chicago was beautiful when LAZ Parking, on behalf of Chicago Parking Meters, LLC was finishing installing hundreds of electronic, multi-space pay and display units downtown Chicago.

But just days after installing the units about 250 of the pay boxes just stopped working. Panicked drivers didn’t know what to do. Parking Enforcement Aides and other ticket writers were instructed to cease ticketing. The city lost thousands of dollars in ticket revenue that day and the Daley Administration, CPM and LAZ were all deservedly red-faced.

Incredibly, this story has come back to haunt Cale Parking USA, the manufacturer of Chicago’s pay and display parking meter machines in a bid for a contract in Oklahoma City, OK according to a story by The Oklahoman newspaper.

Oklahoma City, ironically the historical birthplace of the parking meter, is looking to install 235 new multi-space units in the city’s downtown. Cale, one of six initial bidders, has received the initial nod for the contract, but still face a review before the deal can be sealed.

City officials behind the Cale bid claimed “the meters were well received when installed in Chicago,” according to the piece.

But the newspaper’s writers did a little bit of research and came across the story of the “Massive Meter Meltdown and in addition found out about a story this website broke about hundreds of pay boxes freezing up for two or three days.

The newspaper did forget about the Cale units not keeping accurate time for a while, but since then there have been no major snafus.

However, it seems these new revelations about Cale’s product have delayed a decision on the contract by the board reviewing the proposed contract.

Read the full story at the NewsOK website, “Proposed downtown Oklahoma City parking meters have troubled past and face an uncertain future.”