Altoona recently hired consultants to help improve their current parking situation within the downtown area. The city hired Trans Associate Engineering Consultants out of Pittsburgh to do a $40,000 parking study within the downtown area. City Manager Omar Strohm said that the group would be studying the current and future parking trends within the area to make recommendations. The study will occur between 10th and 14th avenues and 7th and 18th streets, the primary business area. The study comes at a time when there’s a slight shortage of parking.