Mena
Parking Update
3/4/2008
Ground-breaking for the new five-story parking structure in place of lot H began Monday.
Additional student permit parking has been contracted at l6400 Prairie Ave., west of Alondra Park. Parking is available Mon.-Thurs. from 7a.m. to 5p.m. Shuttle service will also be provided.
“I don’t mind the temporary parking at all,” Carlito San Roman, 23, Business said. “At the university I used to attend, we had to take shuttles and pay the same price as everyone else.”
The additional parking and shuttle service will remain in place March 3- March 20. At that time, facilities planning and services will assess the situation with the school and extend the services if necessary.
“There are other parking area options that can be researched but for the time being, we can expand on golf course parking if necessary,” Bruce Hoerning, assistant director of facilities planning and services said.
The shuttle will drive students from the parking area to one of two drop off points on campus. One drop off point is located at Lemoli Avenue and Perimeter road. The other location is on the south side of campus at the Campus Theatre.
“You are closer to your classroom when you get dropped off by the shuttle,” San Roman said. “All you have to do is wait. I waited for the bus only 10 minutes to get driven back to the parking lot.”
Signs warning students and staff about the closure of lot H were posted on Feb.25 in key areas around campus. Fliers were placed on vehicles Feb. 28- Feb 29 from 9a.m. to 11a.m.
“The temporary parking was an inconvenience because I didn’t find out about the changes until I arrived to school in the morning,” Cory Ouwerkerk, 24, Audio Engineering Technology said.
The funding for the temporary parking project is coming from the budget acquired after the Division of State Architects approved the project.
“Anytime we are planning construction projects and renovations, temporary moves always need to be planned for,” Bob Gann, director of facilities planning and services said.
Parking spots on the north side and south side of Alondra Park are not contracted with the campus so students who park there may be cited and possibly towed.
“The difficult part is students do not want to park far away,” President Thomas Fallo said. “Students must make plans to arrive early to campus, even though it may be inconvenient.”
In addition to the construction of the1, 100 parking lot structure, construction will continue for the infrastructure project.
“Construction also makes parking for staff difficult. They must carry more materials than students do,” Ouwerkerk, whose mother works as a professor for the nursing program said.
In order to lay down piping for the infrastructure project, the area south of the Humanities Building will be under construction. There are 50 staff parking spaces that will be affected but not all at one time.
“We are in a difficult period but students and staff always find ways of persevering through any obstacles,” President Fallo said.
There is temporary staff parking in lot L and 15 spots can be added if necessary. The staff may also park at the Alondra Golf Course parking with students. Additional handicap parking is available in lot H.
“The future five-story structure will be a big improvement for parking but there will be very trying times ahead for this semester and those to come during the duration of construction on campus,” San Roman said.