Current campus construction projects have led to some temporary and permanent parking lot closings this fall.
John McEnrue, director of facilities design and construction, said the western portion of Coykendall Lot 22 and Resnick Lot 20 are currently closed and will remain inaccessible until 2014 due to the Wooster Building renovation project.
Additionally, the southern portion of College Hall Parking Lot 19 will be closed until Nov. 1 due to the installation of underground heating lines that are essential for the future science building which projected completion date is summer 2015, McEnrue said.
Permanent closings include Wooster Parking Lot 21, which has been replaced by the construction of the Mohonk Walk, McEnrue said. Beginning in January 2013, Plattekill Lot 18 will be permanently replaced by construction of the future science building, he said.
McEnrue said that due to these parking lot closures, commuting students should “allow for a few more minutes when either arriving or leaving campus,” but he said research shows that there are still spots to be found.
“We have conducted extensive parking space counts on campus over the course of several years and continue to find as many as 600 to 700 empty parking spaces available for students, faculty and staff during peak demand of the academic calendar,” said McEnrue.
There are a number of students commuting to campus this fall. Bridgette Slevin, a fourth-year early childhood and elementary education major, is one of them.
Slevin, who lives 15 minutes from campus, said that with the construction projects, parking has been more difficult to find.
“For this semester, I plan on leaving the house at least 20 minutes earlier each day to secure a parking spot,” Slevin said. “I have considered parking on the street and paying the meter, but am hoping that the chaotic construction is finished sooner rather than later.”
The construction will continue on into the fall and future semesters McEnrue said.
“Current projects include continued tree planting and landscape work along the Mohonk Walk, full renovation of Wooster Building and partial renovation of the Sojourner Truth Library,” he said.
Construction of a new parking lot behind Lenape Hall and the extension of the Route 32 Lot (Lot 28) are expected to begin sometime this fall to accommodate students, McEnrue said. The extension of Lot 28 will add between 138 to 140 spots according to the SUNY New Paltz website.
The New Paltz website said the lots which will remain open during the fall semester are Lot 28, Lot 18 and Lot 37A (West Parking). Additional parking accommodations have been made for those with disabilities. Three new handicapped parking spaces have been designated in Coykendall Lot 22, four spots in Mohonk Lot 24 and five spots in Platekill Lot 18.
In response to the lot closures and construction around campus, McEnrue said it is all beneficial for the campus community.
“Much of the SUNY New Paltz campus as we know it today was completed well over forty years ago. Some of these facilities have become worn and, in several cases, outdated,” said McEnrue. “SUNY New Paltz students deserve state-of-the art facilities complete with the latest in technology on both an environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing campus.”